Marsha Skrypuch is the author of sixteen books for children and young adults. The first edition of The Best Gifts was published in 1998 by Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Her two most recent books are Making Bombs For Hitler (Scholastic, 2012) and One Step At A Time: A Vietnamese Child Finds Her Way (Pajama Press, 2012). Her two most thrilling awards are the SCBWI inaugural Crystal Kite for Stolen Child, and the Order of Princess Olha, in recognition of her outstanding achievement in the development of the culture of Ukraine, in particular for her picture book, Enough (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2001). And no, you do not have to call her Princess Marsha.
Elly MacKay works with paper arts. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax and then studied printmaking for a year at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. She lives near Owen Sound, Ontario with her family working on various illustration projects and teaching at the local art gallery.