James Carter is an award-winning children's poet, non-fiction writer and musician. He travels all over the UK and abroad with his melodica to give lively, action-packed poetry/music performances. A former lecturer in Creative Writing/Children's Literature at Reading University, in the last 19 years James has visited over 1300 schools and has performed at various prestigious festivals including Cheltenham, Hay and Edinburgh. He is the author of CLiPPA-shortlisted collection Zim Zam Zoom (with Nicola Colton). He lives in Oxfordshire, UK. Neal Layton is an author and illustrator whose images are prized for their spontaneity and inventiveness. His picture books include The Tree, The Story of Stars, and Oscar and Arabella. He thought about becoming a scientist but instead studied Graphic Design, gaining a BA at Newcastle and an MA in Illustration at Central St Martins.