Yannets Levi

It tells about Jonah, a very poor kid in the 1930s.

The first book in the series is recommended by Israel's Ministry of Education as part of the Book Parade project.

Yannets Levi (ינץ לוי, born 14 June, 1975) is an Israeli author, playwright, TV host and lecturer.

Levi is one of Israel's most popular and acclaimed writers for children and adults with 12 best sellers published in a row.

Books by Levi have been translated into English, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Czech, Arabic, Hungarian and Macedonian.

Levi was born in Herzliya, Israel, to a family of story-tellers in 1975 and grew up in Kfar Saba.

His father was a journalist, and his mother had been an orthodox Jew, who'd become secular.

Levi says that his writing was initially influenced by stories his father and other family relatives used to tell him when he was a child.

His first passionate interest was painting and even as a young child he felt destined to become a painter.

But as a teenager he began writing and since then he has explored a variety of media: fiction and non-fiction, drama for TV and stage, journalism etc. He studied at Tel Aviv University in a program for outstanding students.

Levi lost his brother, Regev Levi, who died of AIDS.

Israeli writer and film director Reshef Levi is their brother.

Yannets Levi is married to Israeli choreographer and dancer Inbal Oshman.

They have 4 children.

Levi is a frequent visitor to India, studied its culture and used to lecture about Indian culture.

Uncle Leo's Adventures (Hebrew: הרפתקאות דוד אריה) by Yannets Levi is one of Israel's most popular book series for children.

In 2010 Levi won the Public Library Award, the most prestigious prize for children's literature in Israel.

The first book won the Public Library Award, 2010, the most prestigious prize for children's literature in Israel.

It also won an award for its illustration (by Yaniv Shimony) from the Museum of Israel.

The 3rd book of the series won the Devora Omer's award for the most popular children's or youth book in the public libraries.

Levi's best-selling book, Tales of the Forest Man (2010, illustrated by Liora Grossman), is a collection of 9 retold fables about plants accompanied by botanical information.

The sixth book of the series was published May 2014.

The series is published in Arabic, Czech, Korean, English (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan), Japanese, Chinese, Hungarian and Macedonian.

In China the series is received with great enthusiasm and success.

Uncle Leo's Adventures' chapter reader books are part of the official curriculum of the Israeli ministry of education.

Levi's best-selling novel for children titled Mrs. Rosebud is Not a Monster, portraying school days' adventures, was published in 2014.

It tells the story of Michael, an excellent, obedient nonetheless frightened school pupil, who tends to cry a lot.

During summer vacation he promises himself that next year he'll be braver and less anxious, but then he discovers his teacher is the most monstrous teacher since the dinosaur's era.

Unfortunately, Michael falls in love with Daphne, without knowing she is Mrs. Rosebud's daughter.

Levi's best-selling and critically acclaimed novel for adults, Living Hope (Hebrew: תוחלת החיים של אהבה), was published in August 2015.

It tells the story of a family with 6 siblings who discovers one day that their brother is HIV positive.

The novel deals with the way each family member copes with the new situation and how it influences their lives and relationships.

In 2016 he won the Dvora Omer Award for children's literature.

In 2021, Levi won the Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literary Works.

An Uncle Leo's Adventures' reading play in Arabic, based on the 1st book in the series premiered in January 2016 in the Elmina Theater (Jaffa) that promotes tolerance and co-existence in Israel.

Uncle Leo's Adventures with Ragepunch the Witch, an original Uncle Leo's Adventures' Hebrew play for stage, written by Levi, premiered in December 2017 in Habima, Israel's national theater.

The best-selling and critically acclaimed chapter reader book series When Grandpa Jonah was just a Kid by Levi started to be published December 2017.

It is based on Levi's Father's childhood.

The second book "When Grandpa Jonah was Just a Kid - When It Rains, It Pours" was published in May 2019.

In each book of the series the resourceful Jonah manages to help his poor family.