Uri Orlev was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1931 and grew up during the Nazi occupation. When World War II broke out, he hid in the Polish Zone; later he was deported to Bergen-Belsen, where he spent two years. In 1945 he immigrated to Israel and lived on a kibbutz for almost twenty years. Since 1975 Orlev has devoted himself to children's literature. He is one of Israel’s most translated and acclaimed author for young people. He also writes scripts for radio and TV programs and translates books for children and adults from Polish into Hebrew. He has won several prizes and awards both in Israel and abroad including the 1996 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award, the Polish Korczak Award and the Batchelder Prize. He lives with his wife in Jerusalem.