Jane Yolen was an accomplished and awarded author and poet, with over 450 books published in her lifetime. Her expansive oeuvre includes the Caldecott winner Owl Moon (in its 80th printing), the National Jewish Book Award-winner The Devil's Arithmetic, the 20-million copy bestselling series HOW DO DINOSAURS, as well as many other award-winning books of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Jane was also a song composer, a storyteller, and a beloved mother and grandmother. Jane passed away in 2026, but her books will live forever.
Heidi E. Y. Stemple is a second-generation writer. She spends as much time teaching and talking with kids as she does writing. She has published 28 books, mostly for children, and many of them co-written with her mother, Jane Yolen. Her newest solo book, Counting Birds (Quarto), made the NSTA Outstanding Science and the Best STEM lists, won the John Burroughs Riverby Award, and was named a Green Earth Book Award honoree. Heidi lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.
Jieting Chen is a New York-based illustrator and animator. With years of experience, she produced and directed several award-winning short animations. Her illustrations are strongly influenced by oriental paintings, in which the points of view are delicate and sensitive. When not illustrating, she enjoys watching films with her wife and cat, listening to raining sound tracks, or simply letting her mind go blank so she can see where inspiration organically strikes next.
