The boy and the ghost

Robert Daniel San Souci (October 10, 1946 – December 19, 2014) was an American children's book author known for his retellings of folktales for children. He often worked with his brother, Daniel San Souci, a children's book illustrator. He presented at conferences, trade shows, and in schools in the United States. According to Mary M. Burns in Horn Book, his adaptations are typified by "impeccable scholarship and a fluid storytelling style." His version of the Chinese legend of a young woman who takes her father's place in war, posing as a man to fight the Tartars and winning the battle, was the basis for the Disney film Mulan; he wrote the story for the film. He produced primarily picture books, which were often retellings of folklore, but he also contributed original works to the horror and fantasy genres as well as creating non-fiction works aimed at children and adults.