彼得·西斯，149年生於捷剋，國際知名圖畫書作者、插畫傢、設計師、電影導演。自幼學畫，自倫敦皇傢美術學院畢業後，他投身電影創作。他導演的短片曾先後獲得柏林電影節金熊奬、多倫多影展大奬等國際奬項。

移居美國後，彼得·西斯轉嚮圖畫書創作。他的許多作品，包括《追隨夢想》、《星際信使》、《生命之樹》等反映齣他對那些有創造力的、勇於挑戰世俗的探險傢和夢想傢經久不息的興趣。繁復如錦緞的畫麵，新穎的創意，深厚的文化意蘊以及深刻的哲理，使得他的作品同時贏得瞭成人和兒童的喜愛。獲紐伯瑞兒童文學金奬之後，他多次獲得美國插畫傢協會金奬、。《紐約時報》書評周刊年度最佳兒童圖書等榮譽，雖然《星際信使》（Starry Messenger）隻獲得瞭凱迪剋銀奬，但西方評論界認為，彼得·西斯獲得凱迪剋金奬，隻不過是時間的問題。

目前，彼得·西斯與妻子及兩個孩子——瑪德琳和馬特，共同生活在紐約。

A trip around a city block is like a trip around the world!

Peeking out through a die-cut window on the jacket, Madlenka invites the reader to enter her world. And what a world it is! On the surface, it looks like an ordinary city block, but as we meet Madlenka's neighbors -- the French baker, the Indian news vendor, the Italian ice-cream man, the Latin American grocer, a retired opera singer from Germany, an African American school friend, and the Asian shopkeeper -- and look through die-cut windows to the images and memories they have carried from old country to new, we can see that Madlenka's block is as richly varied as its inhabitants. And why is Madlenka going around the block, jumping for joy? Her tooth is loose, and she wants everyone to know!