Sam grew up in Buckinghamshire, falling off various bicycles before reading books and making up his own stories about more competent heroes. After studying English at Cambridge University, he joined Usborne in 2013, and now writes titles ranging from fold-out solar systems to maze books full of swashbuckling pirates. Sometimes, Sam cycles to work. Marta Cabrol was born near Barcelona in 1976. She was very lucky to have a mother who worked in the library where she spent many hours reading lots of books. This was an important influence on her because it helped create a special sensibility to the world of images. Now for her own illustrations, she combines the children's world of imagination, storytelling, and reading, which have always been an important part of her life.