Sybil Wettasinghewas a children's book writer and an illustrator inSri Lanka.Considered as the doyen of childrens literature in Sri Lanka, Wettasinghe has produced more than 200 children's books which have been translated into several languages. Two of her best known works are "Child In Me" and "Eternally Yours"
Sybil Wettasinghe was born on 31 October 1927, the second of five siblings. She spent the first six years of her childhood in the village of Gintota in suburbanGalle, where she started the primary education from Ginthota Buddhist School. Her family then moved toColombowhere she entered theHoly Family Convent, Bambalapitiyaat the age of 6. Her grandfather was a sculptor. Her father was a building contractor and mother was an artist with lace-making.
In 1952, while working at the Janatha newspaper, Wettasinghe made her first attempt to write stories. She produced a narrative calledKuda Horafor the children's page of the newspaper in 1952. This story eventually developed into a book that won critical acclaim both locally and internationally. Inspired by the success ofKuda Hora, Wettasinghe applied herself to writing as well as illustrating and proceeded to produce over 200 children's books over the course of her career.
During her career, Wettasinghe has won much international acclaim and her children's stories secured awards both in Europe and Asia. On 6 March 2020, Wettasinghe's name was entered intoGuinness Book of World Recordsfor the book with the most number of alternate endings. It was shared with schools in all three languages.The bookWonder Crystalreceived a total of 20,000 endings from children all over Sri Lanka, out of which the 1200 best entries were featured in a printed version to coincide with World Childrens Day.
