"Artfully understated retelleing and magnificent apintings result in an unsurpassable presentation of the ancient fairytale. This is a triumph of children's literature, for all ages." --Publisher's Weekly A Caldecott Medal Honor Book

Rika Lesser is a poet and translator of Swedish and German literature.Paul Zelinsky was born in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Yale University, where he took a course with Maurice Sendak, which later inspired him to pursue a career in children's books. Afterwards he received a graduate degree in painting from Tyler School of Art, in Philadelphia and Rome. Paul Zelinsky lives in New York with his wife, Deborah, and the younger of their two daughters.