Born and educated in New Zealand, Lynley Dodd is a graduate of the Elam School of Art in Auckland. Since winning the prestigious Esther Glen Award with Eve Sutton in 1975 for My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes, Lynley has written more than thirty picture books. She launched into international success with Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy, which was published in 1983 and is the first book in a series featuring a small terrier who has become an international superstar. Lynley has won many prizes for her work and received the Margaret Mahy award in 1999. In 2002 Lynley was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to children's literature.