Hollis Kurman writes poetry and children’s stories. Hello! A Counting Book of Kindnesses, illustrated by Barroux and published by Otter-Barry Books, is Hollis' debut picture book. Her poems (one nominated for a Pushcart Prize) have been published in multiple journals.

When not writing, Hollis moderates literary events and is Chairperson of the Ivy Circle Netherlands; Supervisory Board member of Save the Children NL; member of the Fulbright Board NL; Founder of the Human Rights Watch NL Committee and member of HRW Women’s Rights Advisory Council. She was born in New York but lives in an old canal house in Amsterdam with her Dutch husband.

Barroux has won many international honours, from the 2005 Prix Enfantasie to the PEN Award and the Prix Médecins Sans Frontières in 2015. Born in Paris, he grew up in Morocco.

His sensitivity to the problems facing humanity and the natural world is reflected in many of his books, including Line of Fire with Michael Morpurgo, and Alpha, with Bessora. Most recently he has illustrated Hello! A Counting Book of Kindnesses, by Hollis Kurman, for Otter-Barry Books (2020). Barroux lives in Paris.