Born on May 6th, Ted Lewin grew up in upstate New York. He attended Pratt Institute of Art in New York, financing his studies by wrestling in the summer. He continued to wrestle part-time for the next fifteen years, which he recounts in his book, I Was a Teen-Age Professional Wrestler.

His book, Peppe the Lamplighter, received a Caldecott Honor in 1994. He and his wife, Betsy Lewin, travel all over the world doing research for their books, to places such as the Amazon River, the Sahara Desert, Botswana, Egypt, Lapland, and India.

Check out his books Lost City: the Discovery of Machu Picchu, The Always Prayer Shawl, Market!, Gorilla Walk (with Betsy Lewin), and The Disappearing Island.