Sibylle Olfers

Born on May 8, 1881, at Schloss Metgethen near Königsberg, Sibylle von Olfers was a German children's book author, illustrator, art educator, and religious sister. She is best known for Etwas von den Wurzelkindern, first published in 1906, a classic picture book that helped make her name and remains her most famous work.

Her books are closely tied to nature, childhood, and the changing seasons. The artwork and storytelling in her best-known work have given it a lasting place in children's literature, with generations of readers returning to its small underground children, flowers, insects, and springtime world.

Olfers died in Lübeck on January 29, 1916, at just 34 years old. Although her life was short, her illustrations and stories have continued to be reprinted and cherished well beyond her own time.