Sylvia Rouss

Sylvia Rouss grew up in California and first began writing for the children in her preschool class. As an early childhood educator, she was the recipient of awards for both creative teaching and excellence in Jewish education. Sylvia credits the children in her classroom for her inspiration. She is the author of over fifty published books, including the 'Sammy Spider' series as well as the 'Littlest' series. She received the National Jewish Book Award for her story 'The Littlest Pair,' and the Sydney Taylor Honor Award for 'Sammy Spider's First Trip to Israel' and 'Mitzvah the Mutt.' 'Sammy Spider's First Shavuot' and 'Tali's Jerusalem Scrapbook' were named Sydney Taylor Notable Books. Sylvia resides in Oxnard with her husband Jeff, and has three married adult children and seven grandchildren. Besides family and writing, she maintains a busy schedule that includes lecturing and book readings throughout the United States, Europe, and Israel. Her stories have been translated into Spanish, Dutch, French, and Portuguese.