Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written over twenty books for children, including The Little Gray Bunny, The Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. Her love for writing, children and making learning fun was the inspiration for her first children's book, The M&M Brand Counting Book, which sold over 1 million copies. She lives in Natick, Massachusetts.

Peggy Tagel's bright, colorful cutpaper illustrations have been reproduced for a variety of products, including cards, gift wrap, children's books, and magazines. She illustrated all seven books in the First Celebrations series. She lives in North Port, Florida.