Alexandra Katona lives in Southern California with her husband, son, and dogs. She graduated from the University of Michigan, where she majored in Environmental Studies and minored in Spanish, and she now works in communications for the specialty coffee industry. This is her second picture book, and it's inspired by her family and her love of surfing (which she does year-round).
Sara Palacios earned BFA and MFA degrees in Illustration from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. She has illustrated numerous picture books, including
Between Us and Abuela and
Plátanos Go with Everything, and she received a Pura Belpré Honor for
Marisol MacDonald Doesn't Match. She lives in San Francisco with her husband.
"Palacios’ simple, brightly colored graphic art pairs well with Katona’s text. An empowering tale of a youngster riding out waves of anxiety, with triumphant results." —
Kirkus
"Employing acrylic, gouache, and digital techniques for a mottled texture, vignettes and full-page scenes visualize the character’s transformation. This work successfully conjures the way confidence crests through connection with one’s feelings. —
Publishers Weekly
"A triumphant tale likely to hearten anxious younger children facing any first-time challenge, physical or otherwise." —
School Library Journal
