Michael J. Rosen is an author, illustrator, and photographer who has created more than 90 books for children and adults. He holds degrees in zoology and poetry and served for nearly 20 years as literary director of the Thurber House, a cultural center in the boyhood home of renowned author James Thurber in Columbus, Ohio. He lives on a farm in the Appalachian foothills of eastern Ohio. Sonja was born in Iserlohn, Germany and is currently working and living as an artist and illustrator in Berlin.