Secret Commonwealth

Philip Pullman was born in Norwich and educated in England, Zimbabwe, Australia and Wales. He studied English at Exeter College, Oxford.

His first children’s book, Count Karlstein, was published in 1982. To date, he has published thirty-three books, read by children and adults alike. His most famous work is the His Dark Materials trilogy. These books have been honoured by several prizes including the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children’s Book Prize, and (for The Amber Spyglass) the Whitbread Book of the Year Award – the first time that prize had been given to a children’s book. Pullman has received numerous other awards, including the Eleanor Farjeon Award and the Astrid Lindgren Award. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year’s Honours List for Services to Literature.

Chris Wormell is a self-taught artist, and the winner of the Ragazza Prize at Bologna in 1991. Two Frogs won the Nestlé Bronze Award, Molly and the Night Monster was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal and One Smart Fish won the Booktrust Early Years Awards Best Picture Book. His books include George and the Dragon and The Big Ugly Monster and the Little Stone Rabbit which was recently adapted into a stage play. Chris lives in North London with his wife and children.