Badness For Beginners

Tony Ross is one of the best-known creators of picture books. He trained at the Liverpool School of Art before working as a cartoonist, a graphic designer, at an advertising agency and as a University lecturer. His most popular books include his interpretations of fairy tales, the Dr Xargle books and the much-loved Little Princess series, which has been turned into a highly successful animated television series. Tony Ross has also illustrated many children’s fiction titles and in his extremely prolific career he has illustrated more than 1200 books.

Having spent much of his life teaching English and Drama, Ian started writing full time in 1989. He has written over a hundred books for children, including the best-selling Harry and The Bucketful of Dinosaurs series which won the Children's Book Award in 2000, and his stories have been translated into 25 languages.

His books are known for their humour and child-friendliness and range from picture books to novels, short stories and poetry. His humour is wacky and original and his books are all great to read aloud. His enormously popular Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs titles, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds, are published by Puffin. These are beautifully illustrated stories about the boy who by the power of his imagination, and his mastery of their names, has brought to life a whole bucketful of plastic dinosaurs to be his friends.

Ian lives with his wife in Middlesex and has two children and four grandchildren. Apart from his family, his passions in no particular order are: The Herefordshire Marshes — where he retreats to write in an idyllic Victorian villa; digging; running; walking with friends; swimming; cycling (especially in France); the poet Stevie Smith; the theatre; books, films and hedgehogs.