JOAN HEILBRONER's debut book, Robert the Rose Horse, was released in 1961 and is her most well-known work. Dr. Seuss bought it when he was editor of Beginning Books, and it has been in print for more than 50 years. Her grandsons, Quentin and Katrina, and their clever pet snake Plato, inspired her to write A Pet Called Sneaker. Heilbroner, a Columbia University graduate, served as a school librarian until she retired. PASCAL LEMAITRE is the illustrator of several children's books, and his editorial work has appeared in publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Time, and Print. He teaches at Le Cambre in Brussels for half of the year and lives in Brooklyn, New York for the other half.