Antony Pogorelsky was a famous Russian Romantic writer, 1787-1836. This story was cited by Tolstoy as a childhood favorite.
Gennady Spirin was born outside Moscow and graduated from Moscow's Stroganov Academy of Fine Arts. He came to the U.S.A. in 1991. Since then he has illustrated many beautiful books--Philipok, Jack and the Beanstalk, Gulliver's Adventures in Lilliput, and The Tale of the Firebird--all for Philomel Books.
He has received many international awards, including four gold medals from the Society of Illustrators, four New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year Awards, the Premio Grafico at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, and the Golden Apple of the Bratislava Biennale of Children's Book Illustration.