Sara A. Fajardo first discovered the power of words when she was four. Newly arrived in the United States from her native Peru, her English vocabulary consisted of the word "monkey," which she promptly turned into her favorite greeting, "Hola Monkey!" The amused reaction to that phrase started her on a lifelong path of telling stories--first as a photojournalist, then as a multimedia storyteller for humanitarian aid organizations, and now as a writer for children. She grew up in the agricultural community of Salinas, California, and has lived in Finland, Japan, and Kenya. Sara currently resides in the San Francisco Bay Area, with her husband, two children, and very playful cat.

Juana Martinez-Neal is the Peruvian-born daughter and granddaughter of painters. Her debut as an author-illustrator, Alma and How She Got Her Name, was awarded a Caldecott Honor, and Zonia's Rain Forest was named an ALA Top 10 Sustainability-themed Children's Book. She illustrated New York Times bestselling picture book Tomatoes for Neela by Padma Lakshmi; Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story by Kevin Noble Maillard, which won a Robert F. Sibert Medal; and La Princesa and the Pea by Susan M. Elya, for which she won a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award. She also co-illustrated with Molly Idle I Don't Care by Julie Fogliano. Juana Martinez-Neal lives in Connecticut with her family.

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner
Orbis Pictus Honor Book
Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Evanston Public Library's 101 Great Books for Kids
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the Year
Booklist Editors' Choice List Selection
Outstanding Science Trade Book Winner
A Notable Book for a Global Society

★"Thematic connections to environmentalism and sustainability in our changing modern world, told through a Latinx lens, this is a highly recommended title for all nonfiction collections." -School Library Journal, starred review

★"A lovely tribute to an unassuming yet impactful changemaker." -Booklist, starred review

★"In a warm palette, Caldecott Honoree Martinez-Neal's lush mixed-media illustrations convey Salas's dedication and the potatoes as jewels hiding in an ever-shifting landscape. Fajardo smartly melds playful language with an urgent conservationist message..." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

★"[A]n affable, often playful tone and a loose yet incredibly informative narrative peppered with words in Spanish and Quechua, Fajardo recounts the potato expert's adventures in all their glory..." -Kirkus, starred review

★"This tribute to a contemporary figure will no doubt strike a chord with young readers." -BookPage, starred review

"Fajardo's playful narrative brings readers along on Salas's quest, touching lightly but directly on other serious issues that affect his work, such as climate change and human encroachment on natural habitats." -Horn Book