Phil Bildner is a former New York City public school teacher who lives in Newburgh, New York with his husband, dog, and cats. He is the author of many picture books and novels, including the acclaimed coming-of-age story A High Five for Glenn Burke as well as the middle grade Rip & Red series.

Daniel J. O'Brien is a Trinidadian-born author and illustrator currently residing in New York. He holds a BFA in Illustration from the School of Visual Arts. Daniel has written, illustrated, designed, and self-published two children's books, The Carnival Prince and I Am the Midnight Robber, and is also the illustrator of The Talking Mango Tree, The Masquerade Dance, and Juneteenth.

Lammy Award Winner LGBTQ+ Children's Book
A School Library Journal Best Nonfiction Elementary of the Year Selection
A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library Best Informational Books for Younger Readers of the Year Selection
A People's Pick for the Best LGBTQ+ Kids Books for Pride Month
A Book Riot 8 of the Best Recent LGBTQ+ Picture Books Selection
An American Library Association Rainbow Book List Selection
A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Following up his middle-grade novel A High Five for Glenn Burke, Bildner pens a picture-book biography about a remarkable gay Black baseball player . . . O'Brien's illustrations, opaque and with highly defined detail, are both imposing and intimate, and they move readers through Burke's trials and triumphs. Bildner's honest and weighty text is balanced by spreads full of motion, whether figures round bases or connect with high-fives. A bittersweet legacy now accessible to younger readers and sports fans." --Kirkus Reviews

"Portraying the athlete as someone who 'could change the game, ' Bildner conveys Burke's high energy . . . O'Brien's distinctive use of composition and saturated palette lend cinematic appeal to this affecting story." --Publishers Weekly