ANTHONY BROWNE

Browne grew up in Yorkshire in the '50s. His dad owned a pub and he remembers standing on the bar, telling stories to the punters. But there were times when pub life wasn't so great. His bedroom overlooked a field where men gathered to watch blokes fight - reluctantly. "They were frightened, you see. I suppose I wasn't frightened because, from a distance, it looked quite absurd."

After four years at art school, Browne worked as a medical illustrator - gruesome work but exhilarating. He would sketch while surgeons operated. But at some point he realised he was getting bored. Smiling mischievously he confesses that he began to add tiny figures into his technical drawings. Some illustrations made their way into medical journals. "I think it was a sign that my imagination was starved," he says.

Interesting sites to visit:

• http://www.childrenslaureate.org.uk/Home

 LITTLE BEAUTY:

 THE SHAPE GAME:

 MY MOM:

 MY DAD:

 WILLY THE DREAMER:

 PIGGYBOOK:

 MY BROTHER:

 WILLY THE WIMP:

 SILLY BILLY:

 THROUGH THE MAGIC MIRROR:

 BEAR HUNT:

 GORILLA:

 VOICES IN THE PARK

 THE TUNNEL:

 WILLY THE WIZARD: