Every Lella Menged book is brought to life by a small, dedicated team spread across three continents, united by a belief that every child deserves stories from their heritage.

Meet the Team

  • A man smiling outdoors with a blue shirt, green grass, trees, white fence, and buildings in the background.

    Alem Aweke

    FOUNDER & AUTHOR

    Alem Aweke Embiale is an award-winning, Amazon Best-Selling children's author and recipient of the 2026 Bronze Independent Publisher (IPPY) Book Award for The Battle of Adwa in the Multicultural Non-Fiction – Juvenile/Young Adult category. He is also a professional software engineer with degrees in Electrical Engineering, Business Management, and a Master's in Computer Science, and has worked for Fortune 500 companies including Ford Motor Company, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and Boeing. He lives in the Dallas, Texas area and is passionate about creating children's books that celebrate history, culture, and inspire young readers.

  • A smiling man with a scarf around his neck standing in front of a historic cathedral, with a black bird on his head.

    Yorris Handoko

    ILLUSTRATOR

    Yorris Handoko is a great illustrator. He has been illustrating children’s books since 2006. Drawing and illustration have been his passion since childhood. He is a graduate of Swinburne Institute of Technology in Melbourne and majored in Graphic Design. He loves playing the piano in his spare time. Yorris lives in Jakarta, Indonesia, with his wife and daughter.

  • A middle-aged man with short gray hair and glasses, wearing a light-colored polo shirt and an ID badge, sitting indoors with a plant in the background.

    Ferew Abebe

    AMHARIC EDITOR

    Ferew has worked in private and government media for over 20 years as an Amharic editor. He worked for the Reporter, Sandeq, Addis Zemen, Eltawi Addis, and ABBI Weekly newspapers.

    He has a diploma in Print Journalism, LLB Degree in Law, and a Master's Degree in Organizational Leadership.

  • A woman smiling outdoors, with dark wavy hair, wearing hoop earrings and a dark top.

    Krista Zimonick

    ENGLISH EDITOR

    Krista is a meticulous, focused editor with a keen eye for catching errors. She did her MA and BA in English Literature at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire, and also holds a Certificate in Editing from the American Copy Editors Society (ACES). She has completed editing courses through the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), an organization of which she is an active member.

    Krista has copyedited and proofread over a thousand children's books (mainly picture books and chapter books), as well as middle grade novels, dissertations, and master's theses.

    When she is not working, she spends time with her family.

  • A young girl with long, curly dark hair, smiling, wearing a pink lace dress, standing against a blue background.

    Zema Alem

    TEST READER

    Zema is our youngest team member and our most important critic. She has been our test reader since the very first book, and every story must pass her approval before we go to print.

    She loves reading so much that she got certificates from her kindergarten and first-grade teachers for it. She also usually gets in trouble for reading way past her bedtime. When she is not reading or going to school, she loves talking to her dad about science, cooking with her mom, watching movies and listening to kids podcasts.