Lynd Kendall Ward, winner of the 1953 Caldecott Medal for The Biggest Bear (1952), is best known for his illustrations which are to be found in over one hundred books written for both children and adults. A serious artist and writer known especially for his wood engravings, Ward sets high standards of scholarship and accuracy for himself, reflecting his belief that illustrations are an integral part of the book from its inception.

In a 1955 article published in American Artist, Henry Pitz writes that "one of [Ward's] strongest assets is his sense of pulsing and dramatic composition. His imagination rejoices in any subject that gives this ample scope. He likes turbulent skies, networks of dramatic light and shade, forms that he can shape at will, like trees, water, rocks, and clouds. His human figures, too, feel the compulsion of urge. They bend, twist, and stiffen according to the exigencies of the...