Sam McBratney has been writing children's books for nearly thirty years. Having taught at all levels of education he became a full-time writer in 1992. Sam's best-known work is the picture book Guess How Much I Love You, published in 1994 which has sold more than 16 million copies worldwide and continues to sell a million copies a year. It's Lovely When You Smile is Sam's first book for Puffin and there are more Little Roo books planned. Sam lives on the edge of Lough Neagh near Belfast.