Mike Dumbleton started writing when he decided he wasn't getting any better& ; at basketball and his three children were old enough to allow him some uninterrupted time. His first& ; book, Dial-A-Croc, was published in 1991, and is still very popular. Since then Mike has written many& ; other picture books, including the bedtime story Let's Escape. His work has been adapted for stage and television, and many of his books have been selected by the Children's Book Council of Australia as Notable Books. Born in England, Mike now lives in Australia with this wife Linda. He is a high school English teacher and Cross Curriculum Literacy Coordinator.