Dustbin Dad

Peter Bently

Peter Bently lives in Totnes in South Devon with his wife Lucy and their two children, Theo and Tara. He wrote stories as a child and has always been fond of rhyming (including writing his brother's best man speech all in verse).

A Lark in the Ark was Peter's very first picture book and was shortlisted for the 2009 Red House Children's Book Award. He has written many other books for children, including King Jack and the Dragon, which was shortlisted for the 2013 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. He has twice been shortlisted for the Book Trust Roald Dahl Funny Prize, which he won in 2011 with Cats Ahoy! His other titles include Diggory Digger and the Dinosaurs for Egmont, illustrated by Guy-Parker Rees.

Russell Ayto

Russell Ayto was born in Chichester, Sussex and bought up in Oxfordshire. At school he loved both drawing and sciences and once thought about becoming a zoologist. He has worked in a medical laboratory and as as postman, but his favourite job is being an artist! The thing he loves best is the chance to be creative and use his imagination to make characters come to life. He has illustrated many picture books and been shortlisted for the Nestle Award, the Mother Goose Award and the Blue Peter Book Awards, and won the 2008 inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize for The Witch's Children go to School.