Born in 1959 to a Dutch family with Persian roots, Laurence Anholt spent his early years in Holland. He trained as a painter at Falmouth School of Art where he met his wife, the artist, Catherine Anholt. Laurence went on to take a Master's Degree in Fine Art at the Royal Academy in London. The Anholts have produced more than 200 children's books, which have been translated into 30 languages. Their titles have won numerous awards including the Nestle Smarties Gold Award on two occasions. Many of their books are written by Laurence and illustrated by Catherine, but Laurence has written for several other artists including Arthur Robins and Tony Ross, and in addition, he self-illustrates his Anholt's Artists series, an introduction to great art for young children. Random House Penguin will publish Laurence's first full-length novel, The Hypnotist , in 2016. The Anholts have three grown up children; Claire (30) works for the United Nations in New York, and twins, Tom and Maddy (27) are a Berlin based artist and an actor in London. Catherine and Laurence live in an 'upside down' eco-house, surrounded by wildflower meadows overlooking the sea in Devon. Laurence's passions are family, art, travel, books, Buddhism and bees.