Vera Brosgol was born in Moscow, Russia, in 1984 and moved to the United States when she was five. Her three graphic novels, Anyaâs Ghost, Be Prepared, and Plain Jane and the Mermaid, were published by First Second. She wrote and illustrated several picture books including The Little Guys and Memory Jars, and her debut Leave Me Alone! was a 2017 Caldecott Honor Book. Sheâs also worked on storyboards for several animated films, including Coraline, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Guillermo del Toroâs Pinocchio. She lives with her dog, Omar, in Portland, Oregon, where she puts all kinds of things into jars every summer.