Although for a long time popular with collectors of picture books it was often hard to find out anything about the creators of the Parkers’ quirky in verse stories about animals Arctic Orphans, History of the Hoppers, Lays of the Greys, or Cinderella at the Zoo in the standard reference works. Until recently it was not even known if the Parkers were men or women. However, one of their letters sold at Sotheby’s London on November 11, 1996 presenting their aunt with a copy of a new book revealed that they were sisters named Bessie and Nancy