Authors

KIMBERLY DERTING spent hours as a child drawing intricate underground “worm cities” because her art skills didn’t allow her to draw anything with arms or legs. In college, she studied biology, but her real experiments are done at home, in the Pacific Northwest, where she wrangles three kids, one husband, two dogs, two cats, and a rabbit named Thumper—seriously, she’s practically a zoologist! You can find her other books at kimberlyderting.com.

SHELLI R. JOHANNES never warmed up to creepy crawly bugs, but she has always loved zoology and biology. In fact, she can often be found saving strays and other jaywalking critters or volunteering with animal conservation groups. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two kids, one bird, one fish, and two crazy-haired doodles who, just like Einstein, seem to love fruit and dessert but not veggies. You can find her other books at srjohannes.com.

IllustratorS

VASHTI HARRISON (part author-illustrator -filmmaker) is an artist originally from Onley, Virginia. She has a background in filmmaking and a love for storytelling. She earned her BA from the University of Virginia as a double major in Media Studies and Studio Art with concentrations in Film and Cinematography. She then went on to receive her MFA in Film and Video from CalArts where she snuck into Animation classes to learn from Disney and Dreamworks legends. There she rekindled a love for drawing and painting. You can find her and her amazing art at vashtiharrison.com and @vashtiharrison.

JOELLE MURRAY is an artist who is passionate about character design and illustration for mediums such as film, games, books, and comics. She also has a love for dance, which brings a unique point of view as she works. Currently, she’s working as an illustrator on the Khan Academy Kids app, where she illustrates the in-app early learning books. She’s also a freelance character designer and illustrator. If you’d like to see more of her work, follow her on Instagram!