Quentin Blake is one of Britain's most renowned illustrators. Born in the suburbs of London in 1932, he read English at Cambridge before becoming a full-time freelance illustrator. He began his career working for magazines such as The Spectator and Punch. For many years he taught at the Royal College of Art, where he was head of the Illustration Department from 1978 to 1986. He became the very first Children's Laureate in 1999 and was made a CBE in 2005.