Ted van Lieshout (born in Eindhoven, 1955) is a Dutch poet and writer, best known for his children's literature. He studied fine arts and design at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam from 1975 to 1980 and, for a time, taught part-time at the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. After graduating he drew for the newspaper NRC Handelsblad and for youth magazines, and in 1990 he became a full-time writer.
His work has won many awards. In 1995 he received the Gouden Griffel for Begin een torentje van niks, the first poetry book to be honoured with this prize. In 1999 he won the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis for the German edition of Gebr., titled Bruder. He was a twice-named finalist for the Hans Christian Andersen Award, and in 2009 he received the Theo Thijssen Prize for his entire oeuvre. Since 2012 he has made picture books with Philip Hopman, including the Boer Boris series.
He also writes novels for adults that address sexual abuse, some drawing on his own childhood experiences. Schuldig kind was adapted for the stage by Het Nationale Theater. His legacy lies in children's and youth literature that tackles difficult subjects with candour.