Priti Birla Maheshwari was born in India and raised in Montreal and Toronto, Canada. She graduated from the University of Toronto majoring in French, and then pursued her career in education. Her passion for writing began in high school, and she went on to publish her debut award-winning picture book Chaiwala! in 2021. Maheshwari lives near Toronto with her husband and has a daughter in college. Queen Bee is her first early chapter book series. Visit her at pritibirlamaheshwari.com. Rea Zhai is a freelance children's illustrator. She attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California, where she earned a master's degree in illustration. She loves drawing for children since observing the world through a child's eyes always fills her with fun, peace, and joy. She lives in Beijing, China, with her husband, baby girl, and their cats and dogs.