Jack Prelutsky, born in 1940 in Brooklyn, New York, is primarily known as a poet for children but he is also a gifted musician, actor, photographer, sculptor and potter. He proposed to his future wife, Carolynn, on the day they met; she accepted the next day. Prelutsky studied voice and first planned to be an opera singer. However, he decided he did not have the drive to sing opera, and he became a folk singer. Later he tried his hand at drawing. For fun, he wrote some short poems and made some drawings, which became his first publication. He has since published numerous books of illustrated poetry and also provided illustrations for books by other writers, including many in translation.… Prelutsky never condescends to his young readers. He deals in verse with many imaginative creatures, but he also writes about people and problems such bullies, school, and fear of the dark. He is aware of the sound of his words and likes to perform his poetry to the accompaniment of the guitar. He visits schools and libraries to perform his work. Jack Prelutsky is the recipient of numerous awards. In 1977 The Children's Book Council honored him for Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep. His other award-winners are The Mean Old Mean Hyena, The Headless Horseman Rides Tonight, and The New Kid on the Block.
Author and illustrator Marylin Hafner was born in Brooklyn, New York on December 14, 1925. She received her B.S. degree from the Pratt Institute in 1947. Before becoming a children's book illustrator, she worked in the advertising department of a store, was an art director at McCall's, and an art instructor at Famous Schools, Inc. in Westport, Connecticut. She won the New York Herald Tribune Children's Spring Book Festival Award in 1949 for her work on Bonnie Bess: The Weathervane Horse and the National Jewish Book Award for her work on Hanukkah! She was the author and illustrator of the Molly and Emmett series and also worked as a graphic artist. She died on October 31, 2008 at the age of… 82.