Charles R. Smith Jr. is an award-winning author, photographer, and poet with more than thirty books to his credit. His awards include a Coretta Scott King Award for his photographs accompanying the Langston Hughes poem "My People" and a Coretta Scott King Honor for his biography on Muhammad Ali,
12 Rounds to Glory. He is the author of
Rimshots,
Hoop Kings,
Hoop Queens,
Tall Tales,
Short Takes,
Diamond Life, and
I Am America. Charles brings his love of basketball and baseball right down to the toddler set in
Let's Play Basketball! and
Let's Play Baseball! His recent work celebrates subjects he's been interested in since he was a kid, such as
The Mighty 12, which honors Greek gods and goddesses. He currently lives in Poughkeepsie, New York, with his wife, Gillian, and their three kids.
Floyd Cooper received a Coretta Scott King Award for his illustrations in The Blacker the Berry and a Coretta Scott King Honor for Brown Honey in Broomwheat Tea and I Have Heard of a Land. Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mr. Cooper received a degree in fine arts from the University of Oklahoma and, after graduating, worked as an artist for a major greeting card company. His many beloved books form a lasting legacy.