Martha Whitmore Hickman said, "I have tried to tell the Nativity story with the utmost simplicity, while allowing for its mystery, its dangers, its high moments of arrival, as well as the love and power, the excitement and joy that accompany our own journey to Bethlehem." Martha lived in California with her husband, a minister. She had three sons and six grandchildren. She was the author of many books for children, including And God Created Squash: How the World Began, also illustrated by Giuliano Ferri. Martha passed away in 2015.