Benedict Blathwayt spent much of his youth, childhood and early years of married life on the Scottish island of Mull. He has written and has illustrated over 50 picture books for Julie MacRae, Walker Books, Hutchinson, OUP and Rex Fox, among others. His work has appeared in 14 languages. He won the Smarties Prize in 1988 for Tangle and the Firesticks. He lives in Somerset.