Martin Waddell is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest living writers of books for children. His work includes Farmer Duck, Owl Babies and the 1989 Kurt Maschler Award-winning The Park in the Dark, also illustrated by Barbara Firth. In 2004 he won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He lives in Northern Ireland. Patrick Benson was born in 1956 and educated at Eton, in Florence, where he studied classical drawing, and at Chelsea Art School. He worked in the fashion business before a chance meeting with the sister of Sebastian Walker (founder of Walker Books) introduced him to the company. Patrick has illustrated for a wide range of authors including Martin Waddell and Roald Dahl, and he also illustrated Fly Fishing by J. R. Hartley, from the well-known television commercial. He lives in Scotland.