Patricia Cleveland-Peck has published fourteen children's books including The String Family , Much Too Much , The Bus From Beyond and Shepherd Boy . She has also written adult books, plays and visited many countries as a travel journalist. Patricia lives on a smallholding in rural Sussex with lots of animals and a big untidy garden. David Tazzyman is the bestselling illustrator of the Mr Gum books (Egmont), which have won a multitude of awards, including the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. David grew up in Leicester and studied illustration at Manchester Metropolitan University. He lives in Leicestershire with his partner and their three children.