Phil Earle was born and raised in Hull. His first job was as a care worker in a children’s home.

Phil then chose the more sedate lifestyle of a bookseller, and now works in children’s publishing – when he’s not writing his own children’s books, which have received critical acclaim and been nominated for numerous awards, including a longlisting for the Carnegie Medal.

Steve May is an animation director & freelance illustrator based in London. Steve was born in 1968 in sunny Hastings and spent his childhood drawing and discovering interesting ways of injuring himself.

After studying Fine Art and film-making and touring with an unsuccessful pop band, Steve completed an MA in Animation at the Royal College of Art. He has gone on to illustrate books by Jeremy Strong, Philip Reeve and Phil Earle, as well as the Dennis the Menace series.

As an animation director his films Anger & Rabbits won the Association of Illustrators Gold New Media Award. Steve has directed a variety of work for commercials & television. Steve now lives in glamorous north London & his mum says he's a genius.