Avril van der Merwe is the author of How Cheetah Got His Tears (Puffin Books 2017) as well as several prize-winning children's stories set in Africa. She developed a love of illustrated children's fiction during a decade as a pre-primary school teacher in Cape Town. She also taught English at Rand Park High in Johannesburg. Although Avril grew up in South Africa, she now lives in Seattle in the USA. Apart from children's stories, she writes adult fiction and works as an inspirational writer and speaker.