ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Lulu Delacre - see pictures
I was born in Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, the middle child in a family of three daughters. My parents are from Argentina. Growing up in the island was a fun filled experience, where climbing up a tamarindo tree with a friend to eat its fruit, was as common place as hunting for tiny brown lizards. I used to gently open their mouths and hang them from my earlobes as earrings! Being an author/ illustrator is the most challenging and rewarding work I've ever done. I strive to achieve a high standard in both text and art, a draining task and times. So with each new book I eagerly await the moment when I can see the many parts come together in a cohesive whole. I delight in creating books that portray my own culture with authenticity in both words and pictures. Vejigante Masquerader won the Américas Award and The Bossy Gallito was an Pura Belpré Honor Book for text and illustration.
To learn more about Lulu go to her website: http://www.luludelacre.com/index.htm

Ji-Li Jiang - see pictures
Ji-Li Jiang came to the United States from Shanghai, China in 1984. For over twenty years Ji-Li nursed the memories of her childhood, and finally brought them to life in Red Scarf Girl, her first book in 1997. After she published her first book, Ji-Li has been invited to give 400+ speeches at schools and conferences and reached tens of thousands students, teachers and librarians. Just a few of the awards she received for her memoir are: 1998 Notable Children's Books (American Library Association), 1998 Best Books for Young Adults (American Library Association), Best Books of 1997 (Publishers Weekly), and 1997 The Year's Most Wonderful Children's Books (Parenting magazine).
To learn more about Ji-Li go to her website: http://www.jilijiang.com/index.html

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Rukshana Khan - see pictures
Rukhsana Khan was born in Lahore, Pakistan and emigrated to Canada, with her family, at the age of three. She began by writing for community magazines and went on to write songs and stories for the Adam's World children's videos. She currently has six books published and others under contract. Rukhsana is a member of The Writers Union of Canada, CANSCAIP, SCBWI (Society of Childrens' Book Writers & Illustrators), Storytellers of Canada, and the Storytelling School of Toronto. She tells tales of India, Persia, the Middle East, as well as her own stories. She lives in Toronto with her husband and four children. Rukhsana has published several books for children among which she has received much acclaim for, The Roses In My Carpets and Muslim Child. To learn more about Rukshana go to her website: http://www.rukhsanakhan.com/index.htm

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Serpil Ural - see pictures
Serpil Ural was born in Izmir, Turkey in 1945. After working as a copywriter in advertising agencies for several years, she got married and moved to Ankara. There she began writing and illustrating children's books in 1978. She has attended and participated in various national and international meetings related to children's literature, and she has also exhibited her illustrations for children's books in numerous national and international art shows. Her book Candles At Dawn received the 1997 Grand Prize for Children's Literature -Turkey, it tells the story of a young Australian and Turkish girl who meet and look at their lives through the eyes of their Grandfathers during World War I at Gallopoli. In addition to writing and illustrating her own books, she has many articles published on children's literature in various periodicals. Serpil is one of the consultants to the Ministry of Culture, for publishing children's books.

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