Lauren Child MBE is a multi-award-winning author and illustrator whose books are timeless classics, known and loved the world over. She is the creator of many much-loved characters, including Clarice Bean, Ruby Redfort, and Charlie and Lola. Her first Charlie and Lola book, I Will Not Ever Never Eat a Tomato was listed in the top 10 Kate Greenaway Medal winners of all time. The themes running through her work have resonance for adults as well as children and her work illustrating children’s classics: Pippi Longstocking and Mary Poppins is critically-acclaimed. Since she was first published in 1999, Lauren has sold over six million books in 19 languages worldwide. She is a UNESCO Artist for Peace and a Trustee of the House of Illustration, and has an MBE for services to literature. She was the Waterstones Children's Laureate from 2017-2019. During that time she focused on raising the profile of illustration as a sophisticated art form for all ages. She’s been at the forefront of innovation for 20 years and has collaborated with high-profile artists across different fields.