Petra Mathers, creator of the Lottie books, was born on March 25th in the Black Forest in Germany. She moved to the United States at the age of 23 and worked in a children's bookstore. Her exposure to children's books made her want to create her own. Now the illustrator of more than fifteen books, she has been the recipient of the New York Times Best Illustrated Award four times. Petra lives and creates in Astoria, Oregon.