Birthday Counting

Barbara Barbieri McGrath has written over twenty books for children, including The Little Gray Bunny, The Little Red Elf, and many bestselling math concept books. After graduating from Lasell College with a degree in Early Childhood Education, Barbara opened a preschool where she taught 4-5 year olds for sixteen years. Her love for writing, children and making learning fun was the inspiration for her first children’s book, The M&M Brand Counting Book, which sold over 1 million copies. She lives in Natick, Massachusetts.

Peggy Tagel’s most often-asked question is, “How do you cut all those tiny pieces of paper?” The answer is, quite simply, her Magic Scissors. Working in a studio decorated with a huge collection of cookie jars, Peggy’s colorful cutpaper illustrations have been reproduced for a variety of products, including cards, gift wrap, packaging, and stationery, as well as for children’s books and magazines. She illustrated all seven books in the First Celebrations series. She lives in North Port, Florida.