Pamela Butchart

Enid Blyton

Enid Blyton (Author) Enid Blyton is one of the worlds' best-loved storytellers. Her books have sold over 500 million copies and have been translated into more languages more often than any other children's author. She wrote over 700 books and 2,000 short stories, including favourites such as The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Magic Faraway Tree and Malory Towers. Born in London in 1897, Enid lived much of her life in Buckinghamshire and adored dogs, gardening and the countryside. She died in 1968 but remains one of the world's best-loved storytellers. Mark Beech (Illustrator) Mark Beech was born in Pendle, Lancashire and loved to draw from an early age. His very popular work regularly includes scary dragons, wild dinosaurs, grumpy witches and many other whacky creatures. He is the illustrator of all the Magic Faraway Tree books. Mark lives in the Forest of Bowland, where he enjoys walking with his dog Bungle.

Tony Ross

Francesca Simon (Author) Francesca Simon MBE spent her childhood on the beach in California and started writing stories at the age of eight. She wrote her first Horrid Henry book in 1994. Horrid Henry has gone on to conquer the globe; his adventures are published in 27 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide. Francesca has won the Children's Book of the Year Award and been a judge for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. In 2009, in one of the proudest moments of her career, Francesca was awarded a Gold Blue Peter badge. She was appointed MBE in the 2023 New Year Honours. Francesca is also a passionate ambassador for children's literacy and is a trustee of the World Book Day charity. She lives in North London with her family. Visit Francesca's website at www.francescasimon.com and keep up-to-date with Horrid Henry at www.horridhenry.co.uk. You can also follow her on Twitter @simon_francesca Tony Ross (Illustrator) Tony Ross was born in London and studied at the Liverpool School of Art and Design. He has worked as a cartoonist, a graphic designer, as the Art Director of an advertising agency, and as Senior Lecturer in Art at Manchester Polytechnic. Tony is one of the most popular and successful children's illustrators of all time, best known for illustrating Horrid Henry and the works of David Walliams. Tony's books have been translated into 40 languages in over 100 countries. He lives in Macclesfield.