Helen Cooper has written and illustrated over 18 picture books. They have been translated into over 26 languages and won various awards. Notably among these The Bear Under The Stairs, winner of the Smarties Young Judges Prize, The Baby Who Wouldn't Go To Bed, and Pumpkin Soup, both winners of the Library Association Kate Greenaway medal.

Whilst working initially as a primary teacher, then within community arts and theatre, Gill Smith pursued illustration and achieved an MA with distinction in Children’s Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art. She was shortlisted for the Batsford Illustration prize and a winner of international competition, "Picture This". She illustrated Maria's Island, a retelling of Victoria Hislop's bestselling book, The Island, reimagined for children.