Pat Hutchins was born in Yorkshire. Her first book, the highly acclaimed Rosie’s Walk, was published in 1968. She has since written and illustrated more than thirty picture books, as well as several novels and television scripts for older children. The House that Sailed Away, illustrated by her husband Laurence Hutchins, was first published as a children’s novel, and was serialised for BBC television. Her books Follow that Bus! and The Curse of the Egyptian Mummy have also been adapted for the stage and were both performed at Regents Park Open Air Theatre in London.