DEBORAH HOPKINSON is the author of more than 50 books for young readers including Sky Boys: How They Built the Empire State Building, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book; and Abe Lincoln Crosses a Creek: A Tall, Thin Tale, an ALA-ALSC Notable Childrens Book. She lives near Portland, OR with her family and a menagerie of pets. Visit her at deborahhopkinson.com. nMONIQUE DONG is a freelance illustrator whose passion is creating images that encompass light, life, warmth, and color. She studied animation at City Varsity in Cape Town, South Africa. She currently lives in China with her husband.n