Chingyen Liu writes children’s books and hosts radio and TV shows. When he first met Yipei, on whom Woodpecker Girl is based, he was amazed at her talent and drive to overcome her physical limitations due to cerebral palsy. Watching her paint helped him decide how to write and structure the book. He worked closely with I-Tsun Chiang, a professor of special education at National Taiwan Normal University, to review and edit the story. Mr. Chiang has been working for years helping people with multiple handicaps, including cerebral palsy.

Heidi Doll enjoys nature, animals, and long walks, but most importantly painting. She lives by the sea in Taiwan. She was deeply moved by the story of Yipei because she shares the same passion for painting but has none of the physical limitations. She decided to combine some of Yipei’s artwork in this book and mimic her style and brighter color choices. She drew a woodpecker on every spread to represent Yipei to encourage her to soar with her ideas and talents. The rabbit throughout the book represents her as the guardian of Yipei’s dreams. She hopes the book glitters like the nighttime stars in the hearts of the children all over the world who read it.