Lena Shiffman, was born and raised in Sweden, a country rich in story-telling. She grew up reading the fairytales of Hans Christian Andersen and the wonderful stories by Astrid Lindgren, author of Pippi Longstocking. Inspired by the words she read, Lena spent hours drawing and painting her own pictures.

She has now illustrated many magazines and books, such as My First Book of Words, and numerous Hello Readers for Scholastic Inc., including the book Dancing with Manatees, which has sold more than half a million copies in countries all over the world—even as far away as China. Her first book Keeping a Christmas Secret written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, received a Christopher award in 1989. You can view all her books at: lenashiffman.com.

Lena attended Spectrum Institute of Commercial Art in NJ, and later studied at The Parsons School of Design and the Art Students League in New York City. She is a member of SCBWI and a former council member of the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature (RUCCL).

Lena lives in New Jersey with her family and many pets. When not working on her own art she teaches art in Hunterdon and Somerset County for Hunterdon Art Museum, The Center for Contemporary Art, and Hunterdon Parks and Recreation. You can read more about Lena’s work at Writing and Illustrating.