Helme Heine (1941 – 2025) authored more than thirty children’s books, with millions of copies sold around the world. He received numerous awards and honours, including the ›Grand Prize of the German Academy of Children’s and Young Adults’ Literature‹, and the ›Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year‹ by the New York Times on a number of occasions. Helme Heine died in New Zealand in 2025.