Quentin Blake was born in 1932. His first illustrative drawings were published in Punch in 1948 when Blake was just 16 years of age.  For many years Blake taught at the Royal College of Art, where he was head of the Illustration Department from 1978 to 1986. He has won many awards and prizes, and was made an OBE in 1988; he was appointed the first Children's Laureate in 1999 and a CBE in 2005 for services to children's literature. 

Quentin Blake is one of the best loved and most successful illustrators and children's authors. He has illustrated nearly 300 books with writers such as Michael Rosen, John Yeoman, Joan Aiken and most famously of all Roald Dahl.  He has also illustrated a number of classic books for adults and created his own characters such as Mister Magnolia and Mrs Armitage.