Cynthia Cotten has written several books for young readers, including Abbie in Stitches, At the Edge of the Woods and Snow Ponies. She grew up in Lockport, New York, a small town on the Erie Canal. She didn't always know she wanted to be a writer--she dreamed of being a teacher, a marine biologist, a U.N. interpreter and a jockey--but she always loved reading. "My idea of the perfect summer vacation," she says, "was to go to the library once a week, check out as many books as I could fit into my bike basket, and spend the rest of the week sitting someplace cool, reading." Cotten lives in Montclair, Virginia.

Delana Bettoli studied art in Boston University and Los Angeles. She lives at the foot of Oregon's Cascade Range.

"With a gentle, perfectly rhyming text, this cumulative tale presents the Nativity story in a beautifully illustrated version just right for younger children." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"This lovely picture book combines beautiful artwork and a seamless, thoughtful 'The house that Jack' built style to tell the story of the Nativity. The rhyme is sweet but never forced. . . . A gentle, comforting selection." --School Library Journal

"The pace is just right for participatory read-alouds, and Bettoli's attractively patterned, gem-colored paintings amplify the sense of devotion and joy in scenes of winged angels and stars beaming love and light." --Booklist