Effie Lada was born in a small village in the western Peloponnese of Greece. She studied painting at a private school and has published more than 120 books. Her books have been translated into Italian, Korean, Russian, Chinese, Croatian, Turkish, and Romanian. Effie has taken part in international competitions and illustration exhibitions, and she was nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2011 as well as the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2012.