"One of our absolute favourites" - Zoe Ball

''Utterly beguiling' - Lucy Mangan, Guardian

Jill Tomlinson never intended to be a writer. She trained as an opera singer, and then decided to have a family whilst her voice matured. But illness intervened, and she had to find another outlet for her energies. She started on a journalism course, and by the third lesson decided she wanted to write for children. Her animal stories have been bestselling children's books for nearly four decades.

Paul Howard has illustrated many award-winning books from authors such as Allan Ahlberg, Jeanne Willis and Michael Rosen, delighting children and reviewers across the world. Paul is probably best known as the illustrator of Jill Tomlinson's animal stories. Paul lives with his family in Belfast.