Josie Wowolla Boyle was a Wonghi Elder from the Goldfields region of Western Australia. An acclaimed storyteller, author, painter and musician, Josie captivated audiences in schools and festivals across the country. The Shop Train was inspired by a journey she took on the Tea and Sugar train when she was a young girl. Josie peacefully passed away in 2020. 

Maggie Prewett is a descendent of the Ngarluma people of the Pilbara region of Western Australia. She grew up in Perth, and studied Design and Illustration at Perth Technical College.

From an early age, art and literature were encouraged, thereby providing Maggie with a basis for life that has been filled with artistic enjoyment. Her paintings and ink drawings are held in collections throughout Australia and she has participated in a number of group exhibitions. Maggie has lived in Broome in the far north of Western Australia since the 1970s. Some of her illustrated titles include Two Mates (2012), Mrs White and the Red Desert (2017) and The Grumpy Lighthouse Keeper (2016).