Russell Ayto was born in Chichester, Sussex and brought up in Oxfordshire. 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.
"""Ayto's colorful, expressive illustrations perfectly complement this fun tale ... an ideal choice for an early elementary school read-aloud."" * School Library Journal * ""Stylish, irreverent, unruly fun for all!"" -- Andrea Reece * LoveReading4Kids *"