As a Business student at Simon Fraser University, Trevor Lai illustrated and hand-bound 20 copies of his first Ralphy the Rhino story in 1998. He followed his self-published Ralphy the Rhino (1999) with Ralphy's Dino-Adventure (2001). Lai received a young entrepreneur award for his efforts and created a website. It stated, "Writing and drawing since the age of four, Trevor Lai published his first book when he was just 17 years old. Since then, Trevor has written, illustrated, and published a total of seven books for young readers, including an activity book for the RCMP. Trevor's work in children's publishing has been featured in over 40 publications and media programs, including The World Journal and Quill & Quire." By 2007 he had written and illustrated 12 titles for young readers including "Ralphy's Christmas";, a story he created for children who had to spend Christmas in hospital, and "Ralphy's Dino-Adventure"; and "Ralphy in Space";. Raised in Burnaby, he was living in Shanghai in 2007, hoping to transform his books about a rhinoceros named Ralphy into a television series.

[BCBW 2007] "Kidlit"