Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written more than twenty books for children, including Five Flying Penguins, The Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. Her love for writing, children, and making learning fun was the inspiration for her first children's book, The M&M Brand Counting Book, which has sold over one million copies. Riley Samels attended Kent State University and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications and Design. After graduating he moved to Salt Lake City, Utah where he spent a few years as an illustrator for gifting goods including greeting cards and wrapping paper. He now resides in New Haven, Connecticut where he Illustrates pop-up greeting cards daily. Riley is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and allows this and other minority communities to inspire and fuel his work to amplify unheard voices. In his free time, he is probably tending to his collection of 112 (and growing) plants. Riley has a green thumb with a passion for illustration, social justice, traveling, and good food.