Joukje Akveld (b. 1974) is a writer, translator and journalist. She writes picture books and non-fiction for children and adults. Her work has been translated worldwide and has won two Zilveren Griffel awards (annual prize for the best children’s books in the Netherlands), three nominations for the prestigious Woutertje Pieterse Prize and two Vlag & Wimpel awards. She also translates picture books, and her writing as a journalist has regularly been featured in national publications such as Vrij Nederland, Trouw, Kidsweek and Het Parool.
Since 2017, the focus of Akveld’s work has been on Southern Africa. To create these books, she has worked together with South African photographers and with the renowned illustrator Piet Grobler.

* de Volkskrant