It’s time to go to bed, but first of all, Buster needs to put away his toys, have his bath, and peep at the stars before he is finally tucked up beside Teddy under the covers.

Rod Campbell has been writing and illustrating children's books for thirty years. Best known for his classic lift-the-flap title Dear Zoo, he is also the creator of the much loved character, Buster. Ingeniously simple, with touches of gentle humour, his books continue to be enjoyed by children, parents and teachers alike. Rod lives in London.

This is a perfect book for sharing with lively toddlers, who will love to imitate the children’s actions, as they run, skip, stretch and nod.

Annie Kubler was born in 1960, in the north east of France, in a mountainous area called the Vosges, where she spent her childhood. In 1978, she entered the School of Decorative Arts of Strasbourg to eventually specialise, in the final two years, in Children's Illustration. In 1983 she gained a National Diploma in Visual Communication.

In 1985, she moved to England, having been offered a job by publisher Michael Twinn, owner of Child's Play International Ltd.

For the past 20 years she has been Art Director of Child's Play, while illustrating many children's titles, including Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (Winner of the Sainsbury's Baby Book Award in 2002).

At present, she lives with her partner Chris and their three children, Millie, Joni and Harry in a little village in Wiltshire.

Small children will love touching the tiger’s fluffy ears, soft paws and bumpy teeth and will particularly like tracing his soft, stripy tail on the very last page.

After gaining a degree in Education at Exeter University, Fiona worked as a writer and researcher for a publishing company who produced booklets for zoos and museums, and then as a teacher in Kent and the Netherlands.

She joined Usborne Publishing as an assistant editor in 1989, and is now editorial director.  Fiona has gone on to produce over 150 titles for Usborne and frequently features in charts of best-selling authors. Her books include the award-winning That's Not My... series,  The Beginner's Cookbook series, and many fantastic activity and cloth books.

When four friends see a sign for a talent show, they decide that they simply must enter!

Jo Hodgkinson studied Illustration at the University of Wolverhampton. She won first prize in the Emerging Talent category of Cheltenham Illustration Awards celebrating narrative illustration. She loves to travel and is currently living in Istanbul and teaching Art at Istanbul International Community School, but visits the UK regularly.

Everyone knows that dogs don’t do ballet, except for one little girl in Miss Polly’s ballet class.

Anna Kemp grew up in a street with a gang of kids and spent her childhood sticker-swapping, playing Pacman and co-ordinating BMX displays. Later, she went to Oxford University to study French and Italian, and has gained a PhD in French Women’s Writing from King’s College, London. The Worst Princess is Anna’s third picture book for Simon and Schuster, her first two being Dogs Don’t Do Ballet and Rhinos Don’t Eat Pancakes, she is also the author of young fiction title Fantastic Frankie and the Brain-drain Machine.

Sara Ogilvie was born in Edinburgh and lives in Newcastle Upon Tyne. She studied Illustration and Printmaking at Edinburgh College of Art. Since graduating, she has continued to create and develop work which has been exhibited, and has won prizes, both in the UK and abroad. Sara was named one of Booktrust’s Best New Illustrators in 2011. The Worst Princess is her third book for Simon and Schuster, and her third collaboration with Anna Kemp, following on from Dogs Don’t Do Ballet and Rhinos Don’t Eat Pancakes.

This book, based on the story of legendary jazz musician Django Reinhardt, is illustrated in a detailed and painterly style.

Levi Pinfold was born in the Forest of Dean. His love of stories, painting and the work of illustrators such as Maurice Sendak, Alan Lee and Dave McKean led him to study Illustration at the University College Falmouth, where he developed narrative illustrations in his own style; a stylised realism.

Alongside painting, Levi writes stories in his spare time. Since graduating from university in 2006, Levi has worked as a self employed illustrator. The Django (Templar Publishing) his debut picture book, is inspired by Levi's love of music. Levi lives and works in Cornwall, and plays banjo and guitar when no one else is looking. Levi won The Booktrust Early Years Award in the Best Emerging Illustrator Category for 2010.

Levi was chosen for a Booktrust Best New Illustrators Award in 2011.

Illustration Technique

Creating stories is an organic process for Levi. Sometimes he does a drawing and then the story might come afterwards which is common with people who write and illustrate. He likes to get the text finalised before he starts on illustrations.
 
Levi works up detailed roughs to arrange the order of illustrations so that both he and his publisher know what they are getting before he starts the long process of painting. He typically takes from one to three weeks on each illustration as he likes to paint a lot of detail as he enjoyed detailed illustrations as a child. As a child he absorbed himself in books and comics which were big influences on him as he grew up, as well as fine art as an adult.

Levi grew up on Roald Dahl and Morris Sendak, John Burningham, Pat Hutchins, and was obsessed with Clocks, Clocks and More Clocks. He now loves painters like Breugel, David Friedrich and the Romantics. He says that if you cast your net as wide as you can you can take bits from other artists. You can see what’s possible.

The Django was painted in watercolours and gouache and his latest book, Black Dog, is painted in tempera – a mix of pigment with egg and water which has the same light touch as gouache but you can lay down dark underwashes with.

Delicate representations of meadow and tree, and quirky, colourful birds amusingly illustrate a gentle fable.

Ellie loved creating pictures from a very young age and has a passion for children’s books (she keeps all her books in a huge wardrobe in her bedroom!). As a student she was highly commended in the Macmillan Prize 2006 for her illustrated story Massivia McStodge and the Ghastly Ghouls.

After completing a foundation course in Art and Design, and a degree in Graphic Design at Bath Spa University, she went on to achieve a Master’s in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art.

Ellie got the idea for Birdsong after listening to the very noisy birds in the aviary in Victoria Park, Bath, whilst at University. There were many different kinds of birds and they each made a distinctive noise. They seemed to be greeting each other and talking amongst themselves, and so she began sketching them and trying to write down the noises they made.

Ellie currently lives and works in Lincolnshire.

A small silver fish has done everything he can possibly do in the ocean - he sings, dances and even performs plays, but has never walked upon the land.

Chris Wormell lives in North London with his wife and children. He was the winner of the Ragazza Prize at Bologna in 1991 and the Smarties Bronze Award in 2003. In addition to his children's books, Chris undertakes other illustration work including advertising campaigns, packaging and, issued in January 2005, a set of stamps featuring farmyard animals for the Royal Mail.

Tofta has found that sharing is really hard to get used to. But she discovers it can sometimes be fun – especially if it involves games and stories with an army of penguins.

Helen Stephens grew up in County Durham and currently lives in Darlington with her partner and little girl. She studied illustration at Glasgow School of Art and began working as a freelance illustrator in 1994. She worked as an editorial illustrator for a few years before writing her first book in 1998. She has written and illustrated many popular books for children which have been published worldwide in a variety of languages. As well as writing her own stories she has also produced books in collaboration with other authors including Roger McGough, Simon Mason and Sophie Hannah.

Blue Horse and Tilly won Best World Theme Story in 2002, Twinkly Night was shortlisted for the Sainsbury’s Baby Book Award 2002 and Poochie-Poo won the AOI Images Silver Award 2003. Fleabag was shortlisted for the Blue Peter Book Award 2009.

Helen is a lecturer on Cambridge School of Art's MA in Illustrating for Children.

Rabbit is petrified as he scampers home through the dark wood; he suspects that he is being trailed by a scary fox in the dark!

Alison Green, publisher at Alison Green Books, edited The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and now works with them on their new titles, such as Tabby McTat, along with a wealth of talented authors, illustrators and paper engineers. She gets to spend a lot of her day thinking about what kind of furniture Stick Man would have in his house or what dogs might buy when they go shopping, and is certain she has the best job in publishing. She has written a number of books including The Diary of a Monster Catcher and Mother Goose’s Nursery Rhymes. The Fox in the Dark is her first picture book.

Ernest’s huge, friendly face fills up the spreads of this gorgeously illustrated book.

Award-winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner was born in Harrogate and now lives in Edinburgh. She has a BA Hons in Visual Communication and Illustration from Leeds College of Art and Edinburgh College of Art.

Much of her inspiration – and occasionally modelling! – for her illustration comes from her pets: her horse Shannon, guinea pig Marvin, dog Ellie, cat Ena and goldfish, Bruce.

However, it was animals of a slightly larger kind who were the inspiration for her first picture book, Augustus and His Smile – Catherine drew many of her initial sketches of him whilst watching the tigers at Edinburgh Zoo.

In 2006 Catherine was awarded the Best New Illustrator Award at the Booktrust Early Years awards and was also short listed for the V&A Illustration Awards 2006.

Augustus and His Smile was selected as one of five picture books to be featured and recommended on Channel 4's 'Richard and Judy Christmas Party' in December 2006.

Since January 2007, Augustus and His Smile has been nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal and short listed for the 'Read it Again' Cambridgeshire Picture Book Award and the English 4-11 Award 2007.

Catherine also regularly exhibits her art work in galleries all over Scotland and also illustrates her own range of cards. Catherine's other books include, Harris Finds His Feet (winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal), Sylvia and Bird, Norris, the Bear who Shared, Posy, Ernest (shortlisted for the 2010 Early Years Awards) and Solomon Crocodile.

Catherine was selected as one of Booktrust's Best New Illustrators 2008.

Read an interview with Catherine Rayner

Visit Catherine's gallery of illustrations