Aaron Friedland is the founder and executive director of the Simbi Foundation, which provides support for children around the world who face difficulties in accessing education. The interviews he conducted with children in rural Africa and India inspired the story of The Walking School Bus, his first book. He lives in Vancouver, BC.

Ndileka Mandela is an activist, author, and head of the Thembekile Mandela Foundation, which continues the legacy of her grandfather Nelson Mandela by supporting education and health in rural South Africa. She lives in South Africa.

Andrew Jackson Obol is an illustrator whose proudly Afrocentric art has been published widely in children's books, academic textbooks, and comic books. Andrew was born and raised in Uganda and now lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he is studying in the Masters of Art program at NSCAD University.

Julian Lennon is a singer-songwriter, photographer, children's book author, and the founder of the White Feather Foundation.