Michael Rosen is one of the best known figures in the children’s book world and the British arts scene. He has written numerous award-winning poetry books, non-fiction and picture books. He is also a journalist, broadcaster, performer, who visits schools in the UK and abroad with his one-man show. He was Children’s Laureate from 2007-9,…
Rachel Rooney trained as a special needs teacher and currently works with children with autism. She also teaches poetry workshops for West Sussex’s Gifted and Talented Programme, and leads workshops in schools as a visiting poet. She has been shortlisted for the Belmont Poetry Prize and 60 of her poems have been published in children’s poetry…
Justin Richards has written over twenty novels as well as non-fiction books. He is perhaps best-known for his series of children’s books The Invisible Detective, and as Creative Director of the BBC’s highly-successful range of Doctor Who books. Where does your inspiration come from? Inspiration is all around us – there are ideas everywhere. Again,…
John Rice is a poet, storyteller, writer-in-education, and photographer who has published numerous books for both children and adults. Known across the country for his exhilarating school visits, he has also appeared on TV, has been heard on the radio, and still finds time to exist as a real person! John currently splits his time between…
Philip Reeve was born in Brighton, and worked in a bookshop for many years before breaking out and becoming an illustrator. His first book, Mortal Engines, was published to great critical acclaim in 2001. It won the Smarties Gold Award, the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award and the Blue Peter ‘Book I Couldn’t Put…
Celia Rees is one of Britain’s foremost writers for teenagers with an international readership and reputation. Her novel Witch Child has been published in 28 languages and is required reading in secondary schools in the UK. Although her recent novels have been historical, she has written about everything from vampires to Shakespeare. She began by writing…
Shoo Rayner battled dyslexia on his own to become a leading, international children’s author and illustrator. He is highly committed to the cause of struggling and newly-independent readers, writing series books that they devour. Shoo believes that drawing is just as important as writing and loves to encourage children, and adults too, to pick up…
Susan Price is an English author of children’s and young-adult novels. She has won both the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Prize for British children’s books. When you start to write a book, do you know how it will end? Hardly ever. I usually have an idea of how it will end – whether it…
In your new Bible story collection In the Beginning you and David Walser have adapted the text from the King James Bible. I know it was originally meant to be understood by every ‘ploughboy’, do you think it is as accessible to children today? JP: I was first exposed to the King James Version when I came to…