Janet Zappala is an acclaimed journalist, six-time Emmy award-winning anchor and reporter, Golden Mike recipient, and an Associated Press First Place Award winner. She's worked as an anchor and host in several cities around the country, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, and Philadelphia. Janet currently hosts
Good Food Matters, a health and wellness cooking show streaming on various platforms, a project that combines her love of journalism with her experience as a certified nutritional consultant. She studied at the Global College of Natural Medicine in Northern California, and holds a second certification from the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Janet's expert nutritional advice is gathered in the cookbook
My Italian Kitchen: Home-Style Recipes Made Lighter & Healthier, released April 2010 and inspired by her mother and best friend, Mary, a spectacular cook in her own right. Above all these awards and accolades, though, Janet's proudest achievements are her two beautiful children.
One of Janet's great passions is caring for animals, especially rescues. She volunteers and serves on the Advisory Council of the Coachella Valley Horse Rescue in Indio, California, where she met Guapo. Janet knew that the life lessons in his story would be valuable for parents and their children to share together. This is her first children's book.
Wendy Perkins adores stories—reading, watching, listening to, and conjuring them. Animals, plants, and nature are her favorite things to write about, and children are her most-beloved audience. Wendy has written more than two dozen nonfiction children's books, created science and nature-themed curriculum, crafted content for kids' websites, and more. As a staff writer for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, she shared stories that sparked understanding and appreciation of wildlife, and she hopes Guapo's story will do the same.
Wendy began her writing career by researching and writing exhibit labels and educational signs for zoos and aquariums. When she's not at her keyboard, you'll find her in her San Diego garden, where she grows vegetables, fruit, herbs, and a bounty of flowers that provide shelter and sustenance for urban wildlife.
