Growing up in Maine, Ellen Bryan Obed came to know the balsam fir as one of her favorite trees of the forest. She made little pillows of balsam needles with her sister in summertime. She helped her family bank the house with balsam boughs in autumn. And in December, she helped to bring in the Christmas tree! Obed’s writing reflects her study of nature and her love of its seasons. She is the author of several books including Twelve Kinds of Ice, Little Snowshoe, and Borrowed Black which has been translated into seven languages and produced for stage by four different theater companies. Anne Hunter grew up exploring the fields and swamps of South Florida in the company of birders who taught her the names of trees, plants, insects and animals. She now makes her home with her family in the woods of Southern Vermont. Best known for her books about animals and nature, she is the award-winning illustrator of more than twelve children’s books.Anne Hunter grew up exploring the fields and swamps of South Florida in the company of birders who taught her the names of trees, plants, insects and animals. She now makes her home with her family in the woods of Southern Vermont. Best known for her books about animals and nature, she is the award-winning illustrator of more than twelve children’s books including Possum’s Harvest Moon, Possum and the Summer Storm, and Cricket Song.