Born in Lima, Peru, to two journalists, Mariana Llanos developed an early passion for writing. She studied theater in the prestigious CuatroTablas school in Lima. She has lived in Oklahoma since 2002, where she worked as a teacher in a preschool center. In 2013 Mariana self-published her first book, Tristan Wolf, which won a Finalist in the 2013 Readers' Favorite Book Award. Since then, she has published seven books independently in English and Spanish and through virtual technology has chatted with students from more than 150 schools around the world to promote literacy. In December 2017 she was recognized with a Human Rights Award by the United Nations Association of Oklahoma City and the Human Rights Alliance of Oklahoma for her work promoting literacy. Cozbi A. Cabrera is the award-winning illustrator of many picture books, including Thanks A Million by acclaimed poet Nikki Grimes. She is the author/illustrator of the forthcoming picture book, My Hair Is A Garden (Albert Whitman, 2018), as well as the illustrator for the bilingual picture book Luca's Bridge/El Puente de Luca by Mariana Llanos (Penny Candy Books, 2018) and Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks by Suzanne Slade (Abrams, 2019). Cozbi's handmade collectible cloth dolls (Munecas), which she makes in honor of her Honduran heritage, have been featured on the Oprah Winfrey Show and in Martha Stewart Living.