Pam Munoz Ryan grew up in the San Joaquin Valley of California and now lives with her family near San Diego. She based this story on the experiences of her maternal grandmother whose privileged life in Mexico was altered dramatically when she immigrated to the United States and went to work in a company-owned farm labor camp. She is the author of the acclaimed "Riding Freedom" and "Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride," an ALA Notable Children's Book.

Brian Selznick is the author and illustrator of the bestselling "The Invention of Hugo Cabret, " which was awarded the Caldecott Medal and was a National Book Award finalist. He is also the illustrator of many books for children, including "Frindle" and "Lunch Money" by Andrew Clements, as well as the "Doll People" trilogy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin, and "The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins" by Barbara Kerley, which was a Caldecott Honor Book. Mr. Selznick divides his time between Brooklyn, New York, and San Diego, California.