Gwendolyn Zepeda was born in Houston, Texas in 1971 and attended the University of Texas at Austin. Her first children's book, Growing Up with Tamales / Los tamales de Ana (Piñata, 2008), was designated a 2009 Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title.  Her second picture book, Sunflowers / Girasoles (Piñata Books, 2009), received a Texas Institute of Letters Literary Award. I Kick the Ball / Pateo el balón (Piñata Books, 2011) is Zepeda's latest bilingual picture book.  A two-time Houston Arts Alliance literary fellowship winner and author of several works of popular adult fiction, Zepeda regularly speaks at schools throughout Texas. She lives in Houston with her husband and three sons.