Steven Kroll was born in Manhattan, New York on August 11, 1941. After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in American history and literature in 1962, he worked as an editor of books for adults in London, England, and New York City. In the early 1970s, a children's book editor urged him to try his hand at writing for children, and he began what would become his career. His first picture book, Is Milton Missing?, was published in 1975. During his lifetime, he wrote more than 95 picture books, chapter books, and young adult novels including The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, Jungle Bullies, That Makes Me Mad, Sweet America, Pooch on the Loose, and When I Dream of Heaven. He died from complications of gastrointestinal surgery on March 8, 2011 at the age of 69.
Russell Freedman was born in San Francisco, California on October 11, 1929. He received a bachelor's degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley in 1951. After college, he served in the U.S. Counter Intelligence Corps during the Korean War. After his military service, he became a reporter and editor with the Associated Press. In 1956, he took a position at the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson in New York, where he did publicity writing for television. In 1965, he became a full-time writer. His first book, Teenagers Who Made History, was published in 1961. He went on to publish more than 60 nonfiction titles for young readers including Immigrant Kids, Cowboys of the Old West, Indian Chiefs, Martha Graham: A Dancer's Life, Confucius: The Golden Rule, Because They Marched: The People's Campaign for Voting Rights That Changed America, Vietnam: A History of the War, and The Sinking of the Vasa. He received the Newbery Medal for Lincoln: A Photobiography and three Newbery Honors for Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery, The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the Airplane, and The Voice That Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights. He also received the Regina Medal, the May Hill Arbuthnot Lecture Award, the Orbis Pictus Award, the Sibert Medal, a Sibert Honor, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal, and the National Humanities Medal. He died on March 16, 2018 at the age of 88.
