MARLENE BARRON, Ph.D., is Head of the West Side Montessori School in New York City. She is the author of I Learn to Read and Write the Way I Learn to Talk: A Very First Book About Whole Language, as well as other books and articles. She has taught early childhood education courses at several colleges, and currently is a professor at New York University.

KAREN ROMANO YOUNG is a former editor at Scholastic. She has created educational materials for all ages, and has written for the National Geographic Society and the Children's Television Workshop.