Nicola Davies is a zoologist and award-winning author whose many books for children include Surprising Sharks, illustrated by James Croft, Extreme Animals, illustrated by Neal Layton, and Gaia Warriors, as well as several titles illustrated by Emily Sutton, including Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes, Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, and Grow: Secrets of Our DNA. She lives in Wales.

Emily Sutton graduated from Edinburgh College of Art with a degree in illustration. She is the illustrator of Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes, Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, Grow: Secrets of Our DNA, and A First Book of the Sea, all by Nicola Davies, as well as The Christmas Eve Tree by Delia Huddy and Betty and the Mysterious Visitor by Anne Twist. In addition to illustrating picture books, she paints, sculpts, and designs prints. Emily Sutton lives in York, England.

"Covering the evolution of the first plants billions of years ago, the secret, microscopic workings of trees and leaves today, and the role of plants in both creating fossil fuels and combating climate change, this book is a[n] ... introduction to the science of plants that goes well beyond photosynthesis"--