Cheri J. Meiners, M.Ed., has her master s degree in elementary education and gifted education. The author of the award-winning Learning to Get Along social skills series for young children and a former first-grade teacher, she has taught education classes at Utah State University and has supervised student teachers. Cheri enjoys visiting and sharing her books in classrooms, libraries, and bookstores. She and her husband, David, have six children and two grandchildren. She lives in Laurel, Maryland.Elizabeth Allen is an artist and professional illustrator of children s picture books as well as a former songwriter and jazz musician. She has exhibited her art in galleries in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Elizabeth lives on a river running through a forest near St. Paul, Minnesota.