Michel Piquemal was born in 1954 in Béziers, where he still lives to this day. After graduating with a doctorate in literature, he became a teacher, then a songwriter, and finally a children’s book author. He has written more than 200 books, translated into twenty or so languages. Novels, plays, poems, picture books, fairy tales, non-fiction, comic book scripts, musicals, political essays for adults… and a lot of stories for Milan/Bayard’s children’s magazines! He is an extremely versatile writer. His work has been awarded several literary prizes, including the ‘Grand Prix du Livre pour la Jeunesse’ in 1989 for his novel “Le Jobard”, which remains a bestseller, the ‘Grand Prix de la Presse’ for “Dis, d’où ça vient…”, and the ‘Prix des Incorruptibles’ for “La Boîte à cauchemars”. Michel Piquemal also directs a collection at Albin Michel, devoting himself tirelessly to the transmission of civilizational values (which he believes are threatened by liberalism and consumerism) by publishing numerous philosophy books for children and adults. He left his teaching job some twenty years ago but remains in constant contact with children as he visits schools and libraries in France and elsewhere.