Wombat Goes Walkabout Award-winning author by Michael Morpurgo (author) and Christian Birmingham (illustrator)

Michael Morpurgo is a master storyteller, weaving captivating stories full of drama and intensity that are coming to be regarded as true classics. Exploring the most profound subjects with a light yet powerful touch, his books tell unforgettable stories in simple, direct words.

Michael Morpurgo discovered his talent for writing while working as a teacher. “We had to read the children a story every day and my lot were bored by the book I was reading. I decided I had to do something and told them the kind of story I used to tell my kids – it was like a soap opera, and they focused on it. I could see there was magic in it for them, and realised there was magic in it for me.”

Living in Devon, listening to Mozart, and working with children have provided most of the stimulae Michael needs to discover and write his stories. He spends about half his life mucking out sheds with the children, feeding sheep or milking cows; the other half he spends dreaming up and writing stories. “For me, the greater part of writing is daydreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches out – the writing down of it I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hand and sharing my dream with my readers.”

Christian Birmingham needs little introduction. The Guardian described him as ‘A modern-day Degas’ and he has been nominated for three prestigious UK illustration awards: the Mother Goose; the Kurt Maschler and the Kate Greenaway. He is particularly admired for his interpretation of the classics – most recently Scholastic’s The Classic Tales of Hans Christian Andersen was described by Publishing News as ‘A very special book . . . with the wonderful vision of a renowned illustrator.’ He lives in London.