Clyde Robert Bulla was born in King City, Missouri in 1914. His first school was a one-room country house. He started out writing stories. After numerous rejections, he finally sold a story to a pulp magazine. He sold more stories to magazines to earn money. He eventually turned to writing children's books. Bulla's first children's book "The Donkey Cart," was published in 1946. He has published over 80 titles including "Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims," "The Chalk Box Kid," "Shoeshine Girl," and "The Sword in the Tree." Bulla currently resides in Missouri.