Mattern is the author of many books for children. Her favorite topics include animals, biography, and history. She lives in the Hudson Valley of New York State.

Susan Nations is an author, national literacy consultant, conference presenter and intervention teacher in the Sarasota County Public Schools. She is the co-author of Primary Literacy Centers: Making Reading and Writing STICK!, More Primary Literacy Centers, Intermediate Literacy Stations and So Much Stuff, So Little Space: Creating and Managing the Learner Centered Classroom. She has also written many teacher's guides for various educational publishers. Susan has been a classroom teacher and literacy coach with students and teachers in kindergarten through fifth grade for more than 20 years. She currently works at Southside Elementary School in the Sarasota County School System as an Assistant Principal Intern. Susan was also the Sarasota County 2004-2005 District Teacher of the Year and a finalist for the 2009 Literacy Teacher of the Year. In addition to her site-based job, Susan is often requested to speak and present at local, state, and national conferences. In recent years, she has presented for the Florida Reading Association Conference, the International Reading Association National Conference, and the Staff Development for Educators (SDE) national conferences. She also provides customized literacy training for schools and districts around the United States. Susan lives in Sarasota with her husband Don. They have five children: three adults, one in high school and one in middle school who keep them quite busy.