Christmas with Auntie

Helen Foster James is a former teacher and coordinator of library media services. She received her doctorate from Northern Arizona University. She has published a number of books with Sleeping Bear Press, including: Welcome to the World; Grandma’s Christmas Wish; E is for Enchantment: A New Mexico Alphabet; S is for S’mores: A Camping Alphabet; Little California; Little America; Paper Son: Lee’s Journey to America; Christmas With Auntie; and the whole Loves You! series. She enjoys taking long walks along the beach in San Diego.

Petra Brown has been a children's book illustrator since 2006 when her first picture book If Big Can...I Can, was shortlisted for the Booktrust Early Years Awards for Best Emerging Illustrator. Since then she has been illustrating for a range of publishers in the United Kingdom and abroad. Petra comments, "I love drawing animals with human expressions. I find it such fun creating, for example, a thoughtful fox, a happy hippo, a shy sheep, or a caring bear! The other thing I like is creating landscapes, places where my characters can run about and have adventures. Living in a magnificent place like Snowdonia helps a great deal." Petra lives with her partner in Wales.