This book was published 2007 by Philomel Books .

Gennady Spirin was born near Moscow in the former Soviet Union. His delicate watercolour illustrations echo the great masters of the Renaissance. Mr. Spirin has received four gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, the Golden Apple from the Bratislava International Biennale, First Prize at both the Bologna and Barcelona International Book Fairs, and has appeared on The New York Times Best Illustrated Books of the Year list four times. Mr. Spirin lives with his wife and three sons in New Jersey. Mr. Spirin's other works include, The Sea King's Daughter: A Russian Legend by Aaron Shepard, Once There Was a Tree by Natalia Romanova, and The Crane Wife by Odds Bodkin.