Beowulf

Michael Morpurgo was 2003–2005 Children's Laureate, has written over one hundred books and is the winner of many awards, including the Whitbread Children's Book Award, the Smarties Book Prize, the Blue Peter Award and the Red House Children's Book Award. His books are translated and read around the world and his hugely popular novel War Horse, already a critically acclaimed stage play, is now a successful feature film. Michael and his wife, Clare, founded the charity Farms for City Children and live in Winkleigh, Devon. www.michaelmorpurgo.org

Michael Foreman is one of the world's leading illustrators. He has won several major awards, including the Kate Greenaway Medal, most recently for War Boy. His titles for Walker Books include Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (9781406348880), Why the Animals Came to Town (9781406329957), Mia's Story (9781844282784), Say Hello (9781406307245) and A Child's Garden (9781406312072). He lives in London.