Calamai, Alessandra: - The author was born and raised in Florence, Italy, where she studied graphic and interior design. She worked in architectural studios for a sportswear company and designed labels for Chianti Classico wineries. In New York, she worked for a fabric design studio and painted for her collection, Antologia di Sassi, The Stone's Anthology. To write and illustrate children's books has always been her aspiration.