My name is Fatima Sharafeddine. I was born in 1966 in Beirut‚ Lebanon‚ but spent the first six years of my childhood in Sierra Leon‚ in West Africa. Three years after my family and I returned to live in our native country‚ the Lebanese civil war started. I spent the next 15 years of my life moving between cities‚ houses‚ and schools‚ always trying to refuge in the safest area.In 1989‚ I received my first B.A. in Early Childhood Education from the Lebanese American University. A year later‚ I got married and moved to the USA where I received a Master’s degree in Educational Theory and Practice (1993)‚ with focus on Children’s Literature‚ and a Master’s degree in Modern Arabic Literature (1996)‚ both from Ohio State University. I moved to Houston‚ Texas in 1996‚ where I worked for several years as a lead teacher with children aged 3 to 6. At a later stage‚ I taught Arabic Language and Culture classes at Rice University. In 2001‚ I moved with my husband and two children to Brussels‚ Belgium. I am currently fully dedicated to writing for children age 3 to 6 in the Arabic Language. Over the last three years‚ I have written and published seven books‚ and translated several others from English into Arabic.