Cooper Edens was born Gary Drager in 1945 in Washington State. He received a B.A. from the University of Washington in 1970. He is an author and illustrator of more than 25 children's books including If You're Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow, Add One More Star to the Night, and The Starcleaner Reunion. Some of his books are illustrated by other individuals like Alexandra Day, Daniel Lane, and A. Scott Banfill. These works include Darby, the Special-Order Pup, The Christmas We Moved to the Barn, Special Deliveries, Santa Cows, Shawnee Bill's Enchanted Five-Ride Carousel, and Nicholi. He has also created a series where he reprints one version of a classic children's story… together with illustrations from a number of artists who have adapted the tales since the nineteenth century.