Marlene is an award-winning author of almost 70 titles for readers preschool through adult. She began writing while teaching children with disabilities, producing materials to help her students learn. With time, the desire to write grew stronger. Soon she was writing for a variety of formats--magazines, internet, newspapers, scripts, books, and textbooks for readers of all ages. Yet, she never forgets where the dream of writing originated--through work with children. She is drawn back into classrooms to share the wonders of research and writing, and, of course, reading books. Craig Orback is a freelance children's book illustrator living in the Northwest and received his B.F.A. in illustration from Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle in 1998. He has illustrated Nature's Paintbox, The Can Man, Keeping The Promise: A Torah's Journey, and other award-winning children's books. He teaches children's book illustration and oil painting at several local colleges. In his free time he enjoys painting landscapes and sharing his books with kids during school and library visits.