Louise Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. Her books include Love Medicine, The Plague of Doves, The Round House, and LaRose. Her books for children include The Birchbark House Series. Along with a spirited group of colleagues, Louise operates Birchbark Books, a small independent bookstore in Minneapolis. Her most recent novel, The Night Watchman, is based on the story of her grandfather, Patrick Gourneau, who loved his family and chopped a lot of wood for The Range Eternal.

Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher have illustrated numerous books together. Among the most critically acclaimed are My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss and The Frog Prince, Continued by Jon Scieszka.