Charles Fuge (Charlie to his friends) was brought up in Bath where a fanatical interest in wildlife translated into the drawing of animals. Once at Camberwell School of Art (where he was tutored by woodcutter John Lawrence), he went on to win the Macmillan Prize in 1988 for Bush Vark’s First Day Out. This went on to win the Mother Goose Award the following year, and a career in children’s book illustration began. Charles Fuge has since illustrated nearly 60 picture books, including Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball which was runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2001. He lives in Dorset with his partner and son, and continues to write and illustrate for children.