Bill Thomson is the celebrated creator of Chalk and Fossil and the illustrator of Baseball Hour, Karate Hour, Soccer Hour, and Building with Dad, all written by Carol Nevius. Thomson's books have received many accolades: the National Parenting Publications Gold Award, designation as a Notable Children's Book by the American Library Association, a Teachers' Choices selection from the International Reading Association, a Booklist Editors' Choice, the Connecticut Book Award for Children's Illustrator, Kentucky's Bluegrass Award, Ohio's Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award, and the Prix Livrentete in Paris, France. Thomson's artwork has also received more than seventy-five awards in the country's most prestigious juried illustration competitions.