Hooda Shawa is a Kuwaiti/Palestinian writer living in Kuwait. Recipient of the Sheikh Zayed book Award for children's Literature in 2008, her books include: The Birds' Journey to Mount Qaf, The Animals' vs the Humans at the Court of the King of the Jinn, The Yellow Man, The Secret Revealer, The Elephant's Journey, Apollo on Gaza Beach, and The Dragon of Bethlehem (forthcoming). Hooda has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies as well as a Certificate of Teaching English as Foreign Language (CTEFLA). Hooda is also the founder and managing director of TAQA productions, a performance/theatre space based in Kuwait.