Steven L. Layne serves as associate professor of education and literature at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. Dr. Layne's collection of Pelican books includes several books in our signature Night Before Christmas Series, including Preacher's Night Before Christmas, The Teachers' Night Before Christmas, and The Principal's Night Before Christmas, the gift books Verses for Dad's Heart and Verses for Mom's Heart, two young-adult thrillers This Side of Paradise and Mergers, and his picture book about international adoption, Over Land and Sea, as well as several additional titles. He lives with his wife and their four children in Illinois. For additional information on his tour schedule, school appearances, and his previous Pelican books, visit www.stevelayne.com.
Born in Temple, Texas, Ard Hoyt is the illustrator of nine picture books, including the New York Times bestseller I'm a Manatee, by John Lithgow. Mr. Hoyt lives in Arkansas with his wife and four children.