Borreguita and the Coyote

Verna Aardema was born in New Era, Michigan, in 1911. A cedar swamp in the back of her house served as her inspiration and retreat as a young aspiring writer. At Michigan State College, Verna took many writing courses, but none that were aimed at writing for children. She didn’t think about the children’s book field until many years later, when she had to make up stories to get her baby daughter to eat. Verna wrote mostly African folktales because of her fascination with that infinitely diverse continent. She published more than 25 books that have been translated into French, Spanish, Dutch, Japanese, Chinese, and Afrikaans.  

* Petra Mathers was born and raised in Germany and moved to the United States as a young woman. She now lives in Portland, Oregon. * Petra is an illustrator first, and a writer second. While she brews a story of her own on some burner in the back of her mind, she is busy illustrating other people’s books. * Petra compares illustrating other people’s books to “visiting”. A certain politeness, consideration, and modesty are necessary. * She is a self-described “sucker for love” and her stories are always about love — she finds unsung heroes very endearing, as well as the clumsy, balding, fumbling, shy creatures who are quietly heroic, risking everything for love.