Quentin Blake has been drawing ever since he can remember and has always made his living as an illustrator. He has also taught, and for eight years was Head of the Illustration department at the Royal College of Art. Quentin Blake was made an OBE in 1988 and, in the words of The Guardian, was "already a national institution" when he was appointed the first Children's Laureate in 1999. Andre Bouchard works as a humorous cartoonist for major French news magazines. He has also written and illustrated several successful books for children. As a token of his admiration for Quentin Blake's talent, he wrote this story and asked him to illustrate it, which Mr Blake kindly accepted.