Jef Czekaj is a cartoonist, children's book author and illustrator, and musician.He has illustrated 4 books, and written and illustrated 5 picture books and one graphic novel. His books, "Hip and Hop, Don't Stop!", "Cat Secrets", "The Circulatory Story", and "Yes, Yes, Yaul!", were all chosen as Junior Library Guild selections. "Cat Secrets" was a finalist in GoodReads Best Books of 2011 and "A Call for a New Alphabet" was named a "Must-Read" book by the Massachusetts Center for the Book.His comic, "Grampa and Julie: Shark Hunters", ran in "Nickelodeon Magazine" for more than 10 years. A collection of the first three years of the comic was published with the help of a Xeric Foundation Grant and distributed by Top Shelf.He DJs for an award-winning hip-hop group under an assumed name.Jef lives and works in Somerville, MA.