Holly Bathie grew up in Devon, where she spent all her time reading. Until the age of seven she wanted to be an acrobat, a lollipop lady, a lawyer or a comedienne. Then she decided on the best job: creating Usborne books. She lives and works in Oxford. Marta Cabrol was born near Barcelona in 1976. She was very lucky to have a mother who worked in the library where she spent many hours reading lots of books. This was an important influence on her because it helped create a special sensibility to the world of images. Now for her own illustrations, she combines the children's world of imagination, storytelling, and reading, which have always been an important part of her life.