Hena Khan | |
---|---|
Born | United States of America |
Occupation | Novelist, picture book writer |
Language | English |
Education | George Washington University; MA in International Affairs |
Genre | picture books, middle grade fiction |
Years active | 2008–present |
Notable works | Amina's Voice, Amina's Song |
Notable awards | 2022 Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature |
Children | 2 |
Website | |
henakhan |
Hena Khan [1] (born 1973 or 1974) is an American author of children's books. Khan is best known for her middle-grade novel Amina's Voice and its follow-up novel, Amina's Song, which won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children's Literature in 2022. [2] Amina's Voice was the first book published under Simon & Schuster's Salaam Reads imprint in 2017. [3] Khan has authored or co-authored more than twenty picture and middle-grade books. [4]
Khan grew up near Rockville, Maryland, as the second of four children born to Pakistani immigrants. [5] [6] Growing up, she enjoyed checking out books from the library. [6] [7]
Khan earned an MA in International Affairs from George Washington University. [8]
Prior to becoming an author, Khan worked with non-profit health and research organizations as a writer and editor. [8]
She has mentioned Beverly Cleary as a writing hero, particularly her Ramona series, and has also cited Louisa May Alcott's Little Women as inspiration for her novel More to the Story. [9]
Khan was approached by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to co-author a Curious George book, titled It's Ramadan, Curious George. [10] [11]
Khan lives with her family in Rockville, Maryland, [8] and has two sons. [12] She is Muslim. [6] [8]
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