Rebecca Van Slyke (rebeccavanslyke.com) also wrote Mom School and Dad School. Growing up, she always wanted to be a cowboy. Born in Washington state, she has also lived in Texas, New Mexico, Indiana, and Colorado. She studied marine biology and has a teaching degree, as well as a Masters of Fine Arts degree in writing. Currently, she teaches second grade in Lynden, Washington, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and miniature dachshund. Jessie Hartland (jessiehartland.com) has written and illustrated many picture books, including Steve Jobs: Insanely Great!, How the Dinosaur Got to the Museum, Bon Appetit: the Delicious Life of Julia Child, and How the Meteorite got to the Museum. Her paintings have been exhibited in Venice, Tokyo, Long Island, and New York City. She has painted murals at a Japanese amusement park, designed Christmas windows for Bloomingdale's, and put her mark on ceramics, watches, and all sorts of other things. Her illustrations have appeared in the New York Times, Travel and Leisure Family, Martha Stewart Kids, Bon Appetit, and Fit Pregnancy. She lives in New York City.
* Colorful language abounds in the clever, playful text, which will amuse kids. . . . Teachers, meanwhile, will appreciate the references to compound words, anagrams, and other wordplay. Created in a rather childlike style that perfectly suits the story s droll, understated tone, Hartland s expressive gouache paintings include enough detail to help kids visualize the scenes, while illustrating the action with considerable wit. Highly recommended for reading aloud, just for the fun of it. <i>Booklist</i>, <b> starred review</b>