The brothers Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859) Grimm are considered the founders of German linguistics and literary studies. They collected fairy tales that had been passed down orally and published them between 1812 and 1815 under the title Children's and Household Tales. The Grimm fairy tale collection has been part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register since 2005.

Bernadette Watts, known throughout Europe simply as Bernadette, has illustrated dozens of folk and fairy tales. Born in England, she loved to draw from childhood. She studied at the Maidstone Art School in Kent, UK, and for some time was taught by Brian Wildsmith and David Hockney. Bernadette’s many beautiful books include Little Red Riding Hood and Varenka. Bernadette finds her inspiration in nature. Today she lives and works in Kent. She has been illustrating for NorthSouth Books and NordSüd Verlag since the beginning of her career.