Prince Fred is 21 so tradition means he must wed a perfect princess. His best friend Prince Zac thinks such a bride might be rare…. Enter Princess Ardwenna, who plays a trick on Fred involving a pea and a pile of mattresses – and gently suggests that it isn’t a princess he needs after all. A take on the famous Andersen tale, with glorious rainbow art by Claire Powell, The Princes and the Pea is published by Bloomsbury.
OUT NOW!
THE POO THAT GREW
When the monkeys mock the dung beetles for eating poop for lunch, Daisy and her chums go on strike. Soon the manky mound of monkey muck grows and grows and GROWS! Hilariously illustrated by Nick East and published by Hodder, THE POO THAT GREW is a poopy eco-tale on the importance of keystone species – and saying sorry!
Welcome to the SPOOKERMARKET – the spooky superstore for witches, trolls, zombies and every other ghoul. There’s upset in the aisles when the Genie of Till Thirteen is let loose. Can store boss Queenie Sweeney stop the genie’s pranks? SPOOKERMARKET is hilariously illustrated by Steph Laberis and published by Puffin. Perfect for #Halloween – or any other time!
PANTEMONIUM!
LOLLIES RUNNER-UP!
PANTEMONIUM was a runner-up in the 2024 Laugh Out Loud Awards! Published by Andersen Press and with joyous illustrations by the brilliant Becka Moor, the book tells the story of Fred the Giant and how he catches everything from a mouse to a massive whale in his humungous underpants!
OUT NOW!
THE ROYAL LEAP-FROG
THE ROYAL LEAP-FROG is my second picture book for Bloomsbury Children’s Books inspired by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated by the brilliant Claire Powell. A flea, a grasshopper and a frog head to the palace to let the king decide which if them can jump the highest. After much hilarious hullaballoo and custardy chaos, the jumping match has a surprise winner….
CATS IN CHAOS WINS!
CATS IN CHAOS! by me and John Bond, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books, has won the Book Awards St Helens 2024 (BASH 2024) in the 5+ category. Thank you to pupils in 20 schools in the borough of St Helens, Merseyside, who chose our book!
OCTOPUS SHOCKTOPUS
WINS NATIONAL AWARD!
OCTOPUS SHOCKTOPUS! by me and the marvellous Steven Lenton and published by Nosy Crow has WON the 2022 Children’s Book Award – both the Younger Readers category AND the overall award! I am especially delighted because the Award, run by the Federation of Children’s Book Groups, is the only national UK award voted for solely by children.
OUT NOW IN USA!
I AM CAT!
I am Cat. Cat is me. A most superior thing to be.
Ever wondered what life is like from your moggy’s point of view? Well, now you can find out as I AM CAT! take you through their day. Illustrated by Chris Chatterton and published in the UK by Macmillan, it is now published in the USA by PenguinWorkshop.
OUT NOW!
SNOW WHITE IN SPACE
SNOW WHITE IN SPACE is the second in the Futuristic Fairy Tales series by me and the brilliant Chris Jevons, featuring favourite fairytale characters as super-cool astronauts leading their own missions and learning about space along the way. SNOW WHITE IN SPACE follows GOLDILOCKS IN SPACE and is also published by Hodder.
OUT NOW!
CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG
I have been honoured to write the first picture book version of Ian Fleming’s only children’s book, the 1964 classic CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. Steve Antony’s glorious illustrations reimagine the famous flying – now electric! – car for a new generation of younger readers. It is published by Hachette in collaboration with the Ian Fleming Estate.
Welcome to my website!
Hello! Here you can find out about me and my books. If you want to learn a bit about my background and how I became a children’s author, that’s in the ABOUT section. To see any of my books, click on the BOOKS section at the top of the page, or on one of the RECENT BOOKS on the right. On this site you can also find out about how to get in touch if you would like me to come to your book event or visit your school, library or bookshop.
I try to update the site as regularly as I can, and you are very welcome to contact me if you have any ideas for anything you’d like to see. No, that doesn’t include a picture of me standing on my head in a giant bowl of custard dressed as a purple chicken. I accidentally deleted that photo from my camera. To make up for it, here is a picture of me in my pram with a poodle. It was taken by a man called Reg, who was married to Vera, who was the sister of Gladys, who was my step-grandmother. I was about six months old.
