Jill Tomlinson's animal stories are much-loved and have been bestseller's for the last three decades. Jill Tomlinson never intended to be a writer. She trained as an opera singer, and then decided to have a family whilst her voice matured. But illness intervened, and she had to find another outlet for her energies. She started on a journalism course, and by the third lesson decided she wanted to write for children. So she did! Her classic tales include The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark and The Cat Who Wanted To Go Home. Jill died, suddenly and unexpectedly at aged 45. Paul Howard is a very successful illustrator whose illustrations for the picture book of The Owl Who Was Afraid Of The Dark have been widely acclaimed.

Paul lives in Belfast with his wife and three children.