Michael J. Benton is Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology and was until 2008 Head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol. He has published more than forty books, including "When Life Nearly Died".
Ellen Weiss has written over 200 books. Her titles have won many awards and have been adapted into a Disney TV movie and a BBC radio play. Two of them, The Taming of Lola and Porky and Bess, were named Bank Street Best Books of 2010. Her other titles include I Love You Little Monster, The Stinky Giant, and Christmastime is Here!