Tony Mitton has been reading and writing since he was 9. He began writing specifically for children around the age of 40 while still working as a primary school and special needs teacher. He now works full-time as a writer and sometimes performs his poems in schools and libraries and occasionally at other venues, mainly in the UK. His main published work consists of solo collections of lyric and narrative poetry, and verse picture books illustrated by a range of illustrators. His picture books include Down by the Cool of the Pool (with Guy Parker-Rees) and The Somethingosaur (with Russell Ayto). He was recently contracted to rewrite the English verse texts for Dick Bruna'sMiffy series of preschool books. Ant Parker is known for his distinctive, vibrant work in books such as Charlie Chick. His artwork has been animated for BBC Children's TV and he illustrated the bestselling Amazing Machines picture-book series. His other titles include the pop-up counting book 10 Little Monsters, and an I Am Reading title: JJ Rabbit and the Monster. Ant lives in London.