Aliki

Aliki grew up in Philadelphia in a very Greek family. Her talent for drawing, first recognized by her kindergarten teacher, was encouraged by her parents and other teachers whom she will never forget.

After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Art, she started a career in advertising art. She married Franz Brandenberg and lived in Switzerland for three years, where she wrote and illustrated her first book, The Story of William Tell.

After they moved to New York, she wrote My Five Senses, the book that changed her career and her life. Besides her own books, Aliki has illustrated many by other authors, including her husband. Their children, Jason and Alexa, who have artistic careers of their own, appear in many of Aliki's books as cats, mice, or themselves.

Aliki has been the recipient of many honours including the New York Academy of Sciences Children's Book Award and the Prix du Livre pour Enfants (Geneva). Her many books for the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Books series are familiar to many budding researchers and teacher-librarians.

Aliki loves music, theater, films, museums, reading, and digging in her garden in London, where she now lives. She travels frequently to the United States, Greece, Switzerland, and other countries, many of which are reflected in her books.