Monalisa DeGross wrote Donavan's Word Jar and Granddaddy's Street Songs. She works at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore as Project Manager of the Family Reading Circle, where she meets and observes children of all ages. Ms. DeGross lives in Baltimore, Maryland, near her children, Donavan and Nikki, and her grandchildren, Shaundrea, Annalisa, and August. In addition to her work as an author, she is also a locally celebrated playwright.

Monalisa DeGross has long been involved in the world of children's literature through her job in the Office of Children and Youth at the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, MD, where she lives. This is her first book for children. Cheryl Hanna is the illustrator of several books for children, including An Enchanted Hair Tale by Alexis De Veaux, a 1987 Coretta Scott King Award Honor Book. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.