Hans Christian Andersen, was a Danish author who rose to prominence as a writer of beloved fairy tales. His stories became English-language classics and had a strong influence on subsequent children's authors, including A.A. Milne and Beatrix Potter. His stories have been adapted for stage and screen, including popular animated versions of "The Little Mermaid” and “The Snow Queen,” which was the basis for the Disney film Frozen.

Kay Nielsen was an artist born in Denmark in 1886. and uUnlike his contemporaries, he looked to more modern styles such as the influx of Japanese art to inspire his work. His distinctive style is best-known for his renowned version of East of the Sun, West of the Moon. World War I greatly derailed his career and while he illustrated several books afterwards, he eventually tried his hand at other pursuits such animation for Walt Disney Studios. Even though he passed away in 1957, Nielsen was posthumously credited as one of the designers of Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

Joan D. Vinge is the winner of two Hugo Awards, one for her novel The Snow Queen. She has written nearly twenty books, including her Cat novels, (Psion, Catspaw, and Dreamfall,) as well as World's End, The Summer Queen, and Tangled Up in Blue which conclude The Snow Queen cycle of stories. She lives in Green Valley, Arizona.