- Writer and Illustrator
- Born on 18 February 1964
- in Göttingen, Germany
- Now lives in South Africa
- Member of the SA SCBWI
Extract from Herr Weiss - unpublished (full story & illustration available on: http://www.kallebecker.com/english/freie_arbeiten).
Our teacher is Herr Weis, a short, old man with wrinkles who will go on pension soon. I love him. One day in the classroom my eyes look out of the window and my thoughts take me into another world.
A world where I can be a butterfly that roams from flower to flower…
A world where I can be an owl that knows no fear in the dark…
A world where I can be dragonfly for its hidden beauty…
A world where I can be a chameleon that knows how to hide when mama and daddy are angry…
A world where I can be a frog that jumps out of joy…
A world where I can be an elephant with a thick skin that no one can harm…
In the world of the classroom, Herr Weiss sneaks over to me. Then he smacks me right in the face. I am overwhelmed by the insult rather than the pain. Looking back I do not understand why I was punished. Because even now as an adult I still love dreaming, for I am a dreamer. And so can you be!
Kalle Becker was born in Göttingen, Germany in 1964. He studied graphics, filmmaking, photography and Russian in Germany and the Ukraine. As a filmmaker and actor he worked in Germany, Russia, Georgia and South Africa. He does exhibitions as a freelancing artist and illustrates children’s books. In 1996 he published Fudukazi’s Magic with Cambridge University Press. The artwork also appeared as part of a multimedia short film of the same name. In 2003 he illustrated for Stories of Africa with Natal University Press and is currently working on a sequel. Kalle is married to the South African writer/storyteller Gcina Mhlophe, and the two have a wonderful daughter.
Published Books
Fudukazi’s Magic by Gcina Mhlophe, illus. by Kalle, Cambridge University Press; 1996
Stories of Africa by Gcina Mhlophe, illus. by Kalle with five other illustrators, Natal University Press; 2003
