Raymond Briggs CBE (1934–2022) was a much-loved illustrator, cartoonist and author, best known for his 1978 classic The Snowman. He produced a treasure trove of work, including Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes On Holiday, Fungus The Bogeyman, When The Wind Blows and Ethel & Ernest. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and animations for TV. The Snowman was first broadcast on Boxing Day 1982 and has been shown every Christmas since, along with the more recent The Snowman and the Snowdog. Graphic novel Ethel & Ernest tells the story of how his father, a milkman, met his mother, a lady’s maid, and how they continued to live in the same house for forty-one years. Raymond was honoured with a CBE for service to literature in the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours as well as a BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award, which celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children’s literature.Jessie Burton was born in 1982 and grew up in Wimbledon, South London. She studied English at Oxford University before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Following a career as an actor she gained international recognition with her debut novel The Miniaturist, a bestselling historical novel set in seventeenth-century Amsterdam, which was translated into dozens of languages and adapted for television. Burton followed this success with further acclaimed and award-winning books including The Muse, The Confession and The House of Fortune. In addition to her novels for adults, she has written children’s fiction, including The Restless Girls and Medusa. As a non-fiction writer, she has written essays and reviews for The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Vogue, Elle, Red, Grazia and The Spectator. Harpers Bazaar US and Stylist have also published her short stories. Found In Translation, her personal essay on Brexit, appeared in Goodbye Europe, in 2017. Jessie’s first middle-grade novel for children, Hidden Treasure, was published in March 2025. She lives in South-East London with her family.

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Raymond Briggs CBE (1934–2022) was a much-loved illustrator, cartoonist and author, best known for his 1978 classic The Snowman. He produced a treasure trove of work, including Father Christmas, Father Christmas Goes On Holiday, Fungus The Bogeyman, When The Wind Blows and Ethel & Ernest. These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and animations for TV. The Snowman was first broadcast on Boxing Day 1982 and has been shown every Christmas since, along with the more recent The Snowman and the Snowdog. Graphic novel Ethel & Ernest tells the story of how his father, a milkman, met his mother, a lady’s maid, and how they continued to live in the same house for forty-one years. Raymond was honoured with a CBE for service to literature in the Queen’s 2017 Birthday Honours as well as a BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award, which celebrates the body of work of an author or illustrator who has made an outstanding contribution to children’s literature.Jessie Burton was born in 1982 and grew up in Wimbledon, South London. She studied English at Oxford University before training at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Following a career as an actor she gained international recognition with her debut novel The Miniaturist, a bestselling historical novel set in seventeenth-century Amsterdam, which was translated into dozens of languages and adapted for television. Burton followed this success with further acclaimed and award-winning books including The Muse, The Confession and The House of Fortune. In addition to her novels for adults, she has written children’s fiction, including The Restless Girls and Medusa. As a non-fiction writer, she has written essays and reviews for The New York Times, Harpers Bazaar, The Wall Street Journal, The Independent, Vogue, Elle, Red, Grazia and The Spectator. Harpers Bazaar US and Stylist have also published her short stories. Found In Translation, her personal essay on Brexit, appeared in Goodbye Europe, in 2017. Jessie’s first middle-grade novel for children, Hidden Treasure, was published in March 2025. She lives in South-East London with her family.

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