HarperCollins Publishers is a proud supporter of First Book, a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their own new books. The primary goal of First Book is to work with existing literacy programs to distribute new books to children who, for economic reasons, have little or no access to books. In this way, First Book effectively leverages the heroic efforts of local tutoring, mentoring, and family literacy organizations as they work to reach children who need help the most. First Book distributes millions of books to hundreds of thousands of children nationwide each year. For more information on First Book, please visit www.firstbook.org. Stan & Jan Berenstain began writing the Berenstain Bears series in 1962, with The Big Honey Hunt. Since then more than 250 Berenstain Bears books have been published, and sales of their series have exceeded 260 million copies. Stan and Jan have left behind a legacy of arguably the best-selling children's book series ever. Making the books has long been a family affair, with son Mike writing and illustrating new stories about everyone's favorite bear family. You can visit the Berenstains online at www.berenstainbears.com. Ree Drummond is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pioneer Woman Cooks, The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier, and The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays. Ree's beloved website, The Pioneer Woman, was founded in 2006 and showcases her cooking, photography, and anecdotes about country life. Her cooking show, The Pioneer Woman, premiered on Food Network in 2011. Ree loves Ethel Merman songs, Lucille Ball, and The Godfather. She lives on a working cattle ranch in Oklahoma with her husband and four children. Bruce Hale has written and/or illustrated over thirty-five books for kids, and is the author of Clark the Shark; Clark the Shark Dares to Share; the award-winning Chet Gecko Mysteries series; Snoring Beauty, one of Oprah's Recommended Reads for Kids; and the School for S.P.I.E.S. series. In his free time, Bruce enjoys hiking, watching movies, and making music. He lives in Santa Barbara, California, with his wife, dog, and many hats. You can catch him online at www.brucehale.com. Syd Hoff was a much-loved and much-read author and illustrator of numerous books for children, most notably the Danny and the Dinosaur titles and Sammy the Seal. Born and raised in New York City, he studied at the National Academy of Design and sold his first cartoon to The New Yorker when he was eighteen. His cartoons became regular features in many magazines and newspapers. Sid Hoff was born in 1912 and died in 2004, at ninety-one. His books continue to delight readers worldwide. Rob Scotton is the bestselling author and illustrator of Splat the Cat; Love, Splat; Merry Christmas, Splat; Scaredy-Cat, Splat!; Russell the Sheep; Russell and the Lost Treasure; and Russell's Christmas Magic. His work can also be found on greeting cards, ceramics, textiles, prints, stationery, and glassware. An honors graduate of Leicester Polytechnic, Rob now lives in Rutland, England, with his wife, Liz, who is also an artist. Diane deGroat is the illustrator of more than 120 children's books and the author-illustrator of bestselling books about Gilbert, including Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants! (Gilbert Goes Green); April Fool! Watch Out at School!; Mother, You're the Best! (But Sister, You're a Pest!); Last One in Is a Rotten Egg!; and the New York Times bestseller Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink. Diane lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
