Author of best-loved characters Biff, Chip, Kipper, Floppy and their friends, Rod's first published stories were those he told his two sons at bedtime. Rod lives in Oxfordshire, in a house not unlike the house in the Magic Key adventures. In 2008, Roderick received an MBE for services to education, particularly literacy. Together with Alex Brychta he won the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award at the Education Resources Awards in 2009. Joint creator of the best-loved characters Biff, Chip, Kipper and Floppy Alex Brychta brought each one to life with his fabulous illustrations which are known and loved in many schools today. Following the Russian occupation of Czechoslovakia, Alex Brychta moved with his family from Prague to London. He studied graphic design and animation before moving to the USA where he worked on animation for Sesame Street. Since then he illustrated many books for children and has devoted many years of his career to Oxford Reading Tree bringing detail, magic and humour to.