Matt Tavares is the author/illustrator of Zachary's Ball and Oliver's Game, as well as Jack and the Beanstalk by E. Nesbit. Of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas he says, "As a child, I would lie in bed, unable to sleep, listening carefully for any sign that Santa Claus and his reindeer might be on the roof. There were times when I was sure I heard sleigh bells. But I never saw him come down the chimney. Maybe someday..." Matt lives in Maine, USA.