Gianni Rodari is widely considered the father of modern Italian children’s literature. In 1960, he collaborated with the Education Cooperation Movement to develop exercises to encourage children’s creative and critical thinking abilities. The recipient of the prestigious Andersen Prize in recognition of his contribution to children’s literature, he was also one of Italy’s most important educators and an activist who understood the liberating power of the imagination. Jack Zipes is a renowned children’s historian and folklorist who has written, translated, and edited dozens of books on fairy tales (Breaking the Magic Spell, The Irresistible Fairy Tale, The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm). He is professor emeritus of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota. Matthew Forsythe is the award-winning author-illustrator of Pokko and the Drum and MINA, and illustrator of The Gold Leaf. He was also a designer on the animated shows Adventure Time and The Midnight Gospel, as well as the Oscar-nominated animated film Robin Robin. He lives in Los Angeles.