Michael Rosen started writing as a teenager, when his mother needed some poems for Radio programs she was making. While at college, he wrote a play which was staged at the Royal Court theatre in London. Rosen's first book was published in 1974, and he is one of Britain's leading children's poets. Michael Rosen launched the National Year of Literacy project, which encouraged children to help produce an Anthology to be used during the Literacy Hour in primary schools. Children ages 4-11 were invited to submit poems and illustrations featuring their favorite tree. Rosen also led the final judging sessions to decide which submissions would be included.
One of the world's most acclaimed children's illustrators and twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal, Helen Oxenbury grew up in Suffolk and attended The Ipswich School of Art. nbsp; During vacations, she helped out at the Ipswich Repertory Theatre Workshop and went on to study Theatre Design at the Central School of Art in London. nbsp; Over a three-year period, she worked at the Habimah Theatre in Tel Aviv, returning to England to work in repertory, theatre, film and television. nbsp;Helen Oxenbury's numerous books for children include the Quangle Wangle's Hat by Edward Lear which won the Kate Greenaway Medal (Heinemann 1969); her classic Board Books for Babies (Walker Books 1981); We're… Going on a Bear Hunt , probably her best known picture book, re-told by Michael Rosen (Walker Books 1989); nbsp; Farmer Duck by Martin Waddell won them the Smarties Book Prize (Walker Books 1991) ; nbsp; So Much , by Trish Cooke, also won the Kurt Maschler Award (Walker Books 1994); nbsp; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland nbsp; (Walker Books 1999) and its companion, Alice through the Looking Glass (Walker Books 2005) , both by Lewis Carroll; nbsp; Alice's Adventures in Wonderland won both the Kate Greenaway Medal and the Kurt Maschler Award. nbsp; King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bentley (Penguin Group 2011) was short-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2013. nbsp; She recently illustrated When Charley Met Granpa by Amy Hest which was published by Walker Books, in 2013.Helen Oxenbury and her husband, John, live in London where Helen works in a nearby studio.