Elizabeth Laird is a Scottish author who has spent many years gathering and retelling folktales from all over the world. She has lived and worked in many countries, including Ethiopia, Malaysia, Iraq and Lebanon and set up a project with the Ethiopian Ministry of Education and the British Council to preserve folktales from all over Ethiopia. She is the author of many acclaimed novels and her books have been translated into 25 languages and won many awards. She has been shortlisted six times for the Carnegie Medal. Elizabeth divides her time between Richmond, Surrey and Edinburgh.Mehrdokht Amini is an Iranian-born illustrator who has lived in Britain since 2004. She graduated in Graphic Design at Teheran University. Her book work includes Golden Dawns and Silver Lanterns and Chicken in the Kitchen (2016) which was Best Book at the Children's Africana Book Awards, and is a 'White Ravens' honour book. Mehrdokht lives in London.