Vivian French is an award winning author of picture books, novels, plays and non-fiction for children and young adults. She has written over 200 books, including Oliver's Vegetables and The Tiara Club series, which sold over three million copies, and is known for retellings of folk and fairy tales that are as fresh as they are classic. Her much acclaimed series Tales from the Five Kingdoms are described as 'Hilarious adventures with wicked witches, trolls, bats and fairy-tale magic' and the Sunday Telegraph calls her 'A sublime story-teller'. A tutor in the Illustration Department at Edinburgh College of Art, Vivian is also co-founder of Picture Hooks, a mentoring scheme for young professional illustrators. In 2012 she was Guest Selector at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Vivian is amongst the most borrowed authors in UK libraries - her books are regularly borrowed over half a million times a year. 

January 1st, 1945 in Bedfordshire (Age 79)