Estelle Chasen was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. She holds a BA in Linguistics and Psychology from the University of Port Elizabeth, and a Higher Diploma in Librarianship from the University of Cape Town.

A former head of the Children’s Libraries of Port Elizabeth and Coordinator for the literacy promotion group READ (Read, Educate and Develop), she also taught Hebrew and Jewish studies at the Theodor Herzl School.

Ribbons for Their Hair is Chasen’s third novel, following The Long Road Home (Minerva Press, 1995) and Chava’s Story (Feldheim, 1997).
Chasen and her husband Phillip followed their three grown children to Israel in 2002. When not writing, she is a hands-on savta (grandmother) to her grandchildren in Ra’anana.