The Mighty Slide

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.

Born and raised in Wales, Charlotte says that book illustration is “the only thing I ever wanted to do,” and she certainly has made a brilliant career of it. Skipping formal training in art, she studied art history at London University and worked at a gallery before embarking on a freelance career in illustration. Her illustrations are widely loved for their gentle wit, quiet observation, airy exuberance and utter charm. Her picture books include Ginger, winner of the Smarties Prize and its prequel, Ginger Finds a Home, which shows how the loving ministrations of a little girl transformed the title character from stray to pampered pet. More recently, Charlotte has written and illustrated Tweedle Dee Dee; Hello Twins, winner of the British Book Design and Production Award; and Pizza Kittens, winner of the Smarties Prize.