The Children Who Smelled a Rat

In the early 1960s, Allan studied teacher training in Sunderland, where he also met Janet, his future wife. He had tackled a wide variety of jobs, ranging from postman to plumber’s mate before working as a primary teacher for ten years. Janet, however, discovering that she ‘couldn’t do the policing job’, went on to study graphic design, which led her to her vocation as an illustrator.

Katharine McEwen studied Illustration at Kingston University and then spent two years in France as an artist in residence. She soon returned to England, and her big break came with the offer to illustrate The Man Who Wore All His Clothes by Alan Ahlberg. Katharine’s colourful and characterful style is an instant winner – children love her animal cast of characters and the peculiarly human qualities they possess.