Mark Powers has been making up ridiculous stories since primary school and is slightly shocked to find that people now pay him to do it.

As a child he always daydreamed that his teddy bear went off on top secret missions when he was at school, so a team of toys recruited as spies seemed a great idea for a story.

He grew up in north Wales and now lives in Manchester. His favourite animals are the binturong, the aye-aye and the dodo.

Dapo Adeola is a young illustrator and character designer who is new to the picture book world. His first book, Look Up was written by Nathan Bryon and published by Puffin in June 2019 to great acclaim.

Born in Britain and of Nigerian heritage, Dapo's work tends to revolve around creating characters and imagery that challenge gender norms and equality politics in a fun and upbeat manner.