ROSE IMPEY was born, and grew up, in Northwich, Cheshire. When she first left school she worked in a bank, but soon realised that this was not for her; so she decided to go back to school and then went on to college, where she trained to be a teacher. She later taught in a Junior school in Leicester. Rose has two grown-up daughters. While her children were small, Rose developed her interest in children's books through reviewing, bookselling, storytelling and giving talks to parents and teachers. The Impey family have a dog called Holly, which has also become a star. In 1988 Rose was short-listed for the Smarties Children's Book Prize for 'Desperate for a Dog'. Most of her stories are based on her own experiences either as a teacher or a parent. As a family they like jokes, and this often provides Rose with the ideas for her books. She spends a lot of time visiting schools to read her work. Her books are widely published worldwide, including the United States, Australia, France, Denmark, Germany and Spain. Rose enjoys eating, talking, swimming and reading, although not necessarily in that order!

A childhood passion for books, radio and cinema set Frank Rodgers on the road to being a writer and artist. Today, he is the author/illustrator of almost fifty books for children, covering a wide age range from picture books through books for older readers to a novel for teenagers. As a child, Frank Rodgers was impressed by Frank Hampson's drawings for the original Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future strips and Mervyn Peake's illustrations for Treasure Island. At school, he was generally in the market to swap things for American comics. Inspired by radio shows like The Goons and Journey Into Space, he wrote plays and pressganged family and friends into the cast. Already, he was thinking up - and drawing - all kinds of characters. He studied Silversmithing and Jewellery at Glasgow School of Art and became an Art Teacher, in his spare time writing pop songs and two stage musicals. His first foray into publishing was as an illustrator of other writers’ work, most notably Humphrey Carpenter’s Mr Majeika books. In 1987, he left teaching to become a full-time writer and illustrator. Many of Frank’s books have been published in Europe and the US. Described by Scottish Book Trust as 'one of Scotland’s best-loved author/illustrators', he has been a tutor on the Arvon Foundation’s Writing for Children course. Frank enjoys putting on his Ray-bans and either pounding out rock ‘n’ roll on his piano or playing blues guitar.

Chris Powling was born in 1943, in south London, where he still lives. He's taught at all levels in the state school system, from infants to postgraduates, and for ten years was headteacher of a London primary school. Throughout his career, Chris has had a rich and diverse involvement with children's books - as a critic for national journals and newspapers (including THE GUARDIAN, THE OBSERVER, BOOKS FOR KEEPS, CAROUSEL and THE TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT) and as a broadcaster for the BBC and various independent radio stations. He was the editor of BOOKS FOR KEEPS from 1989 till 1996 when it won the Eleanor Farjeon Award for services to children's literature, is a panel member for a national children's book club and has served on numerous prize committees. Currently, he is adult-books editor for Classic FM where he presents a monthly review on the programme Classic Newsnight.

Diana Hendry grew up by the sea and has worked as a journalist, English teacher and tutor in Creative Writing at the University of Bristol. Her poetry has won a number of awards including first prize in the 1996 Housman Society Competition. From 1997-1998 she was Writer in Residence at Dumfries & Galloway Royal Infirmary. She lives in Edinburgh. She has published more than thirty books for children, including Harvey Angell which won a Whitbread Award in 1991 and You Can't Kiss It Better, set in Edinburgh (2003). She also writes adult short stories, a number of which have been published in anthologies and read on Radio 4. Her collections of poetry for adults, Making Blue (1995) and Borderers (2001) are published by Peterloo, and Twelve Lilts: Psalms & Responses (2003) by Mariscat Press. With Tow Pow, in a series of poetic ‘challenges’ she has published Sparks! (2005, also Mariscat Press). A third full collection, Late love : and other whodunnits, was published in 2008. She has also published a collection of poems for children, No Homework Tomorrow (Glowworm, 2003)

Jenny Nimmo was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England and educated at boarding schools in Kent and Surrey from the age of six until the age of sixteen, when she ran away from school to become a drama student/assistant stage manager with Theater South East. She graduated and acted in repertory theater in various towns and cities: Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells, Brighton, Hastings, and Bexhill. She left Britain to teach English to three Italian boys in Almafi, Italy. On her return, she joined the BBC, first as a picture researcher, then as an assistant floor manager, studio manager (news) then finally a director/adaptor with Jackanory (a BBC storytelling program for children). She left BBC to marry a Welsh artist David Wynn Millward and went to live in Wales in her husband's family home. They live in a very old converted watermill, and the river is constantly threatening to break in, as it has done several times in the past, most dramatically on her youngest child's first birthday. During the summer they run a residential school of art, and she has to move her office, put down tools (type-writer and pencil, and don an apron and cook! They have three grown-up children, Myfawny, Ianto, and Gwenwyfar.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base. Bob Wilson is a cartoonist, artist and author of children's books. He is probably best known for the Stanley Bagshaw series of children's books. He is also responsible for the Pump Street Primary series of books and the Joshua Jones TV cartoon series.

Timothy Knapman has written many books for children, including Mungo and the Picture Book Pirates, Dinosaurs in the Supermarket and Eleanor's Eyebrows. He also writes plays and co-writes musicals. Timothy Knapman is available in a range of colours, and is washable.

There is more than one author with this name. Sarah Garland has written and illustrated over forty picture books and adventure stories for young children. She is best known for her warm and witty portrayals of family relationships, and for her outstanding work for preschool picture books. She lives in the beautiful village of Chedworth in the Cotswolds with her husband, artist David Garland.