Aaron Shepard has been fascinated by this story since childhood. He is the author of many folktales, including The Sea King's Daughter: A Russian Legend, The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale, The Maiden of Northland: A Hero Tale of Finland, and most recently, The Princess Mouse: A Tale of Finland. He lives in the Los Angeles area. Gary Clement, who also has only two eyes, is the winner of the Canadian Governor General's Literary Award for The Great Poochini. He lives in Toronto, Canada.