Marie Štumpfová graduated from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, where she specialized in Illustration and Graphics after studying fashion design and completing an internship at the Academy of Fine Arts under Vladimír Kokolia. Her work today mainly revolves around illustration, book and magazine design, and the creation of author's books. She collaborates with notable publishers including Baobab, Paseka, Běžíliška, Meander, and Euromedia. Marie designed Page magazine for the Luxor bookstore and serves as its art director. She was also behind the previous design of Hybris magazine. Her passion for interdisciplinary work has led her to design projects, including a wooden construction set for children. Her thesis project, Jak zvířata spí (How Animals Sleep), has been celebrated by critics and readers alike, and is now available for children in Japan, Poland, the Netherlands, Korea, and Hungary.
Jiří Dvořák was born in 1970 in Frýdlant and spent his childhood in Prague, aspiring to become either a botanist or an author of adventure novels. In 1993, he graduated in plant biotechnology from the Czech University of Life Sciences, where he realized that a career in science was not his calling. He worked as a proofreader and later as an editor for various publications; currently, he is the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Naše krásná zahrada" (Our Beautiful Garden). Dvořák has combined his love for biology and adventure by writing books that often tell stories about nature. He lives in Prague, enjoys photography, sleeping, and staying quiet.
His books include Plesk! (ABR, 1997), Kvítka z čertovy pohádky (Flowers from the Devil's Tale) (Self-published, 2002), Slepice a televize (The Chicken and the Television) (Baobab, 2003), Zpátky do Afriky! (Back to Africa!) (Baobab, 2005), Minimax a mravenec (Minimax and the Ant) (Baobab, 2009), Stromovka (with Tereza Horváthová) (Baobab, 2010), Rostlinopis (Strange Truths and Fables of the Green World) (Baobab, 2012), Jak zvířata spí (How Animals Sleep) (Baobab, 2014), Havětník (The Beastiary) (Baobab, 2015), Bydlíme! (Home Sweet Home!) (Baobab, 2019), Slunečnice (Sunflowers) (Baobab, 2020).
He has been awarded the Golden Ribbon multiple times, was nominated for the Litera award for children's literature, and received the Grand Prix Bohemia for his radio fairy tales. After graduating from the Czech University of Life Sciences with a degree in plant biotechnology, he worked in various editorial offices as a proofreader and editor. He has collaborated with numerous newspapers and magazines, as well as with Czech Radio.