Barbara Shaw McKinney is a teacher as well as a poet. She was inspired to use the magic of children's literature to spark her students' curiosity about the wonders of water. She vowed to "turn a drop of rain into a drop of life, astounding children by its eternity." Her sprightly verse elicits a "water wow!" in A Drop Around the World, her first book. She is also the author of Pass the Energy Please!, a wonderful exploration of nature's food chain, written in rhyming verse. From Manchester, Connecticut, McKinney draws on her experience as a mother, musician, and curriculum developer to promote quality education through workshops for teachers.
Michael Maydak is a professional artist who is passionate about nature—especially the riparian environments that he loves so much as a fly fisherman. He and his son, Wolf, often go fishing together. Mike is an art graduate of San Jose University and has been a professional artist since 1976, with his studio at his home in Cool, California. This is the fifth book he has illustrated for Dawn Publications.