Nutcracker

John Cech is a professor of English, teaching courses in children's literature at the University of Florida in Gainesville. He is also the director of the Center for Children's Literature and Culture. Cech has served as a judge for the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards, was president of the Children's Literature Association, and won the Chandler Award of Merit for his work in children's literature. He lives in Gainesville, Florida. Eric Puybaret was born in France, and graduated from the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. He is the illustrator of many books for young readers including the bestselling Puff, the Magic Dragon by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton (Sterling).