Kate DiCamillo is the author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, which received the Newbery Medal; BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, which received a Newbery Honor; and THE TIGER RISING, which was named a National Book Award Finalist. She says, "Mercy Watson had been in my head for a long time, but I couldn't figure out how to tell her story. One day, my friend Alison was going on and on and on about the many virtues of toast. As I listened to her, I could see Mercy nodding in emphatic agreement. Sometimes you don't truly understand a character until you know what she loves above all else."
Chris Van Dusen is the author-illustrator of DOWN TO THE SEA WITH MR. MAGEE, A CAMPING SPREE WITH MR. MAGEE, and IF I BUILT A CAR. He says, "When I first read Mercy Watson to the Rescue, the characters were very vivid in my mind, and they just came to life when I started painting. This is exactly the type of story I love to illustrate – a wonderfully silly adventure with lots of action." This is his first book with Candlewick Press.
凯特·迪卡米洛,生于美国宾夕法尼亚州,在佛罗里达州长大。大学时代主修英美文学,并从事成人短篇小说的创作,曾经获得1998年迈克奈特基金会的作家奖助金。她的第一本儿童小说《傻狗温迪克》刚一问世就广受好评,并夺得了2001年纽伯瑞儿童文学奖银奖。
凯特笔下的人物都显得十分真实。她说,她并没有塑造这些人物,而是专心聆听这些人对她说什么,然后把他们说的东西转述出来。她不喜欢刻意介入或扭转故事的发展,也不特意挑选故事的题材或背景,一切都是自然而然流露出来的。