Ed Emberley won the 1968 Caldecott Medal for his bold illustrations for Barbara Emberley's jaunty adaptation of the cumulative folk song about seven soldiers who build a magnificent cannon and Drummer Hoff, who fires it off.

Barbara and Ed Emberley¹s collaborations include the Caldecott Honor Book One Wide River to Cross. Ed¹s books have also been honored on the New York Times¹s annual Best Illustrated Books List. The Emberleys live in Ipswich, Massachusetts.