Mari Beatrice "Bea" Uusma, previously ''Uusma Schyffert'' (born 20 March 1966 in

Lidingö Lidingö, also known in its definite form ''Lidingön'' and as ''Lidingölandet'', is an island in the inner Stockholm archipelago, northeast of Stockholm, Sweden. In 2010, the population of the Lidingö urban area on the island was 31,561. It is ...

, Sweden), is a Swedish author, illustrator and medical doctor.

Biography

Uusma was born and raised in

in Stockholm County. In 1999, she wrote and illustrated a children's book about the American astronaut Michael Collins titled ''The Man Who Went to the Far Side of the Moon: The Story of Apollo 11 Astronaut Michael Collins''. In the mid-1990s she became interested in S. A. Andrée's Arctic Balloon Expedition of 1897 and tried to find out what happened to the expedition members. This research resulted in the book ''The Expedition'', published in English by Head of Zeus in 2014, and for which she was awarded The August Prize in 2013. After working as an illustrator for several years, Uusma started studying medicine and is now working as a medical doctor in Stockholm. She says her medical knowledge was useful in her research for ''The Expedition''. Uusma was awarded the August Prize, a Swedish literary award, for non-fiction for ''The Expedition'' in 2013. She was married to Swedish comedian

Henrik Schyffert Per Henrik Schyffert (born 23 February 1968) is a Swedish comedian, actor, musician and radio and television personality. Career Schyffert was a VJ for MTV Europe in the late 1980s. In 1992 he hosted the comedy TV show ''I Manegen Med Glenn K ...

between 1996 and 2012. They have two children. Uusma is the sister of Swedish actress

Martina Haag Martina Haag, (born Helen Martina Uusma on 9 June 1964) is a Swedish actress and author. Martina Haag's father came to Sweden as a refugee from Estonia. She has acted in the film ''Underbar och älskad av alla'' in 2005. The film was made from ...

English bibliography

* * *

Awards

* 2002: Swedish Book Art Award * 2002: International Book Art Competition award * 2003: Best Books of 2003

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, with ...

* 2004: CCCB Choices selection * 2004:

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

Notable Books for Children designation * 2004:

Batchelder Honor Book designation * 2004:

Nonfiction Honor Book designation * 2006: Louisiana Young Readers' Choice nominee * 2013: August Prize

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uusma, Bea 1966 births August Prize winners Living people Swedish children's writers Swedish women children's writers Swedish children's book illustrators Swedish women illustrators Swedish non-fiction writers Swedish women non-fiction writers Writers who illustrated their own writing 21st-century Swedish writers 21st-century Swedish women writers People from Lidingö Municipality Swedish women physicians 20th-century Swedish physicians 21st-century Swedish physicians 20th-century Swedish women physicians 20th-century Swedish women writers 21st-century Swedish women physicians