Award-winning author and illustrator Polly Dunbar created many much loved books for children, in a career spanning three decades. She's one of the most popular illustrators working in the UK today.

Merry Whatmas? - the sixth in the hugely popular Hedgehog and Friends series - came out in 2023, just in time for Christmas.

By now, Polly and Eoin's Hug books have sold 250,000 copies, translated into 25 languages.

2023 also brought us The Kiss, introducing Tiger and Crocodile.

And in 2022, Polly illustrated Michael Rosen's funny poetry book Ready For Spaghetti - a hit with the smallest children.

Biography

Polly studied first at Norwich School of Art, and then at Brighton University.

Her best-selling picture book Penguin won the 2007 Nestlé Silver Award, BookTrust Early Years and Red House awards.

And her Tilly and Friends books went on to become an animated BBC TV series, selling around the world.

Polly Dunbar's picture books as author-illustrator also include gems like A Lion is a Lion, Red Red Red, Something Fishy and Flyaway Katie.

Aside from her own texts, Polly's illustrated books by Enid Blyton, Michael Morpurgo, Margaret Mahy and a great number more.

After The Hug, Polly and Eoin's much-loved reversible book, came While We Can't Hug. While this was a book born out of the pandemic, this is also a universal story of friends separated.

But back in 2020, with families across the UK facing Christmas apart, a reading by Mr Tumble was broadcast by the BBC on Christmas Day.

There are now six books in the series, delighting children all over the world.

Hello, Mum (Faber 2021) is Polly's first book for adults. It grew out of her finely observed and very funny Instagram sketches of motherhood.

Polly's also the co-founder of award-winning puppet company Long Nose Puppets.

Polly Dunbar lives in Waveny Valley in Suffolk with her partner and their two boys. She's represented by The Catchpole Agency.