Julia Donaldson is the outrageously talented, prize-winning author of the world's best-loved picture books, and was the 2011-2013 UK Children's Laureate. Her books include Sharing a Shell, the bestselling smash-hit What the Ladybird Heard, What the Ladybird Heard Next and the modern classic The Gruffalo, which has sold over 13.5 million copies worldwide and has been translated into over seventy languages. Julia also writes fiction as well as poems, plays and songs and her brilliant live children's shows are always in demand. Julia and her husband Malcolm divide their time between Sussex and Edinburgh. Lydia Monks is one of the most original picture book artists working today. Her distinctive use of colour and collage has won her critical acclaim and several awards, including the Smarties Prize. Her collaborations with Julia Donaldson include The Singing Mermaid, the Princess Mirror-belle books, Sugarlump and the Unicorn, and the phenomenally successful What the Ladybird Heard and What the Ladybird Heard Next. Lydia lives in Sheffield.