Ian Krykorka's picturebook,Carl the Christmas Carp is his first book with Orca. As a child born in Canada, Ian thought that eating fish instead of turkey for Christmas dinner would be strange. Still, he was captivated by his mother's tales of how back in Czechoslovakia her family kept their Christmas carp in the bathtub, feeding it kitchen scraps to fatten it up. After Ian experienced his first Christmas in Prague in 1999 and then lived there for six months in 2003, the time had come to write a book, which he did, using a computer powered by solar energy. Ian lives, writes and designs websites in Toronto, Ontario and is also the author of Silver Moon, illustrated by his mother, Vladyana Krykorka. Carl notwithstanding, fish is one of Ian's favorite foods.

Vladyana Krykorka has illustrated and designed over 30 books for children. Her work has received numerous awards, including the Toronto Public Library’s recognition of Baseball Bats for Christmas as one of the 100 best children’s books of all time. In the last two years she has conducted art workshops in several Quebec Arctic communities, working with Inuit teachers in the creation of their own books and class materials, as well as textile printmaking techniques.