Cooper Edens was born in 1945 in Washington State. He was raised in Washington state on the shore of Lake Washington. Cooper Edens once said "A huge highway separated me from prospective playmates who might otherwise have come to visit. Consequently, I spent many hours alone by the lake, daydreaming. I would imagine the island in the lake to be a pirate ship, or another world altogether. In fourth grade, when my attendance in school became more regular, I was put in charge of the bulletin board, changing it for each holiday and season. It could be said in relation to my work today that I am still doing the bulletin board! "My confidence grew out of these coloring book and bulletin board… escapades. I considered myself master of color. In junior high school, I was regarded the 'art guy,' who was always hanging out in the art room. As time went on Cooper Edens attended the University of Washington and graduated with a B.A. in 1970. He soon started writing and illustrating his many unique picture books. Some were collaborations with other illustrators, such as Sandra Darling, who under the pen name Alexandra Day, has worked with Edens on books such as Darby, the Special-Order Pup, The Christmas We Moved to the Barn, and Special Deliveries, all which feature Day's watercolor illustrations. In Darby, the Special-Order Pup the chewing habit that results in the ouster of a young English bull terrier from the Bell family home ultimately saves the day in a "sparse but effective text" that Booklist contributor Ellen Mandel praised for its surprise ending. In more recent years Edens has devoted much of his time to creating a series of volumes celebrating the history of children's book illustration. In these books, Edens reprints one version of a classic children's story, such as Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Pinocchio, or Beauty and the Beast, together with illustrations from a number of artists who have adapted the tales since the nineteenth century. In The Three Princesses: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Edens presents three traditional tales about princesses, each accompanied by splendid colored artwork.