Christobel Mattingley: Hello, my name is Christobel Mattingley. I'm glad my parents chose Christobel, a good name for a writer whose words ring out across the world, and children love it. Mattingley is my married name. I was born in Australia and live in Adelaide, the capitol of South Australia. I've traveled to many countries, worked in some, written books in some, and made friends everywhere.

My first stories were published when I was 10 in the children's pages of the newspaper and a nature magazine. I've always loved nature and children, and still write about both. From my desk, I can watch parrots and koalas in the eucalyptus trees, and I love to hear the sound of children at the school across the park.