The Extraordinary Dreidel

Devorah Omer (1932–2013) was born in Kibbutz Maoz Haim in 1932. Completing her studies in 1952, she went on to become a teacher, which was when she began to write books. In her lifetime, she wrote and adapted more than 100 books for children and young people, which have been translated into many languages.

She received a great number of awards for her work, including the Ministry of Education Prize in 1973, the Ministry of Education Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2005 and the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement in 2006. Her books also won her the Book Publishers Association's Gold and Platinum Awards on several occasions. She is one of the most prolific and popular children’s authors ever to come out of Israel. Devorah Omer died in Israel at the age of 80.

Aviel Basil graduated from Shenkar College of Design in Tel Aviv with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design. He currently works and lives in Tel Aviv. Since graduating in 2011, Aviel has illustrated more than 50 children’s books which have been published in Israel. He won a silver medal for his first book in the Israel Museum 2012 award for children’s book illustration. He has also illustrated for magazines, advertisements and worked on character and background designs for apps and animations. His style is inspired by 50s illustration and he loves to use a bright and colorful palette.