Beth Krommes received a BFA degree in painting from Syracuse University and a MAT in art education from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Krommes' first illustrations were wood engravings, and then she began working in a scratchboard style. THE HOUSE IN THE NIGHT, featuring that style, won Krommes the Caldecott Medal in 2009. 'My mission is to create artwork that is joyful in spirit, universal in nature, and accessible and affordable to others,' Krommes says.