Going Batty

About the Author

John Agard is an acclaimed poet, playwright and author. He grew up in British Guiana (now Guyana) and says his love of words began with cricket commentary on the radio. His accolades include the Paul Hamlyn Award for Poetry, the Cholmondeley Award and the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. He now lives in East Sussex. Michael Broad lives in Surrey with a big black dog called Bella who likes to drop toys at his feet while he’s writing or drawing and then waits for him to get up and trip over them.Michael studied illustration at Portsmouth University, earning 1st Class Honors, and after brief detours in film and animation he now works solely on writing and illustrating books for children of all ages.His picture books include Scaredy Cat and Boo! which was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal. He also writes young fiction series like The Unbelievable Adventures of Jake Cake, of which the first book, The Werewolf Teacher, was shortlisted for the Waterstone''s Children''s Book Prize and the Nottingham Children''s Book Award.Michael has a particular interest in writing for reluctant readers, having been one himself, so he tries to pack as much adventure into as few words as possible, and then throws in oodles of illustrations!When he’s not writing or drawing, which is hardly ever because it’s so much fun, Michael likes long walks with Bella, drinking whole pots of tea and painting big canvasses.