Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain's best-loved writers for children. He has written over 130 books including War Horse, which was adapted for a hugely successful stage production by the National Theatre and then, in 2011, for a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Michael was Children's Laureate from 2003 to 2005. The charity Farms for City Children, which he founded thirty years ago with his wife Clare, has now enabled over 70,000 children to spend a week living and working down on the farm. His enormous success has continued with his most recent novels Flamingo Boy and The Snowman, inspired by the classic story by Raymond Briggs. He was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity.

Emily Sutton is an artist and illustrator who has collaborated with the likes of Paddington creator Michael Bond, Jessie Burton and Kate Morton. As well as illustrating picture books and book covers she has designed everything from fabric to stationery to packaging, and she is also a highly skilled painter, sculptor and printmaker. As well as illustrating Royal Animals written by Julia Golding, she has written and illustrated her own picture book, Penny and the Little Lost Dog, and has illustrated William Sieghart's poetry collection Everyone Sang and acclaimed non-fiction books by Nicola Davis, Tiny, Lots and A First Book of the Sea.