Valerie Thomas was born in Australia and has lived there for most of her life. She has worked as a teacher, as well as an educational researcher and curriculum consultant in the area of spelling.

Valerie has travelled to most corners of the world, and has written about her travels: the first piece of writing she had published was an account of her experience picking grapes for the champagne harvest in France.

In 1987 her phenomenally successful children's book Winnie the Witch, illustrated by Korky Paul, was published by Oxford University Press. Winnie has since enjoyed many more remarkable adventures, with amazing pumpkins, flying carpets and baby dragons!

Korky Paul is an award-winning illustrator of children's books. In 1986 he illustrated his first book for OUP, Winnie the Witch, for which he and Valerie both won the Children's Book Award in 1987. Korky Paul was born in Zimbabwe and is one of seven children. He studied Fine Art at Durban Art School, South Africa and Film Animation at CalArts, California, and started his working life in advertising. He illustrated the Winnie The Witch series for Oxford University Press, which won the Children's Book Award.