Author Jeff Wild is a pastor of Madison Christian Community (MCC), an ecumenical partnership of two congregations, Advent Lutheran (ELCA) and Community of Hope (UCC). He is the coauthor, with Peter Bakken, of Church on Earth: Grounding Your Ministry in a Sense of Place, which was published by Augsburg Fortress. Inspired by MCC's location on seven acres of property, in 2002 Wild initiated a now-thriving children's garden ministry in partnership with a nearby community center, which includes prairie restoration, community garden plots, a children's garden, and chickens. His children's book, How Abad and Shamar Became Gardeners, furthers his mission to build community through gardens.The… book's illustrator, Chelsea Mclean Johnson, is an architect based in San Francisco. She received her bachelor of arts degree from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, and is a graduate of the School of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley.