Eric Beddows was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. He illustrated Shadow Play and the Newbery Medal-winning Joyful Noise and its companion, I Am Phoenix (the latter under the name of Ken Nutt), all by Paul Fleischman. He has many one-man shows of his art and received numerous grants and awards for excellence. Other children’s books he’s illustrated include The Cave of Snores by Dennis Haseley and Who Shrank My Grandmother’s House? by Barbara Juster Esbensen. He lives in Stratford, Ontario.