"One of my earliest memories is lying on the floor in front of the kitchen fire, drawing…" Michael Foreman

During the war, paper was in short supply but, the large biscuit tins delivered to his Mum's shop were lined with white paper. The tins were about twelve inches square, so unfolded, the paper would be four feet long. Perfect for drawings of marching soldiers and convoys of tanks, the village traffic of his childhood.

This is a celebration of Michael's life as a master storyteller and illustrator told through his own autobiographical tales, diary extracts, original sketches and illustrations from his award-winning publications. Beginning with his childhood in wartime Suffolk and his early career as a young artist, and culminating with his collaborations with world-famous authors Terry Jones, Michael Morpurgo and Quentin 'BLOOMIN' Blake, this book showcases his 'greatest hits', and reveals the places, stories and people that inspired him along the way.

Divided into three parts:• Memories of Childhood (Looking through War Boy, After the War Was Over and War Game.)

• Far-Flung Places (Looking through Treasure Island, Wind in the Willows, Alice in Wonderland, Wizard of Oz, World of Fairy Tales and Classic Fairy Tales.)

• Friends and Collaborators (Looking through Eric the Viking, Fairy Tales, Nicobobinus, Animal Tales, Fantastic Stories, Arthur, Robin Hood, Joan of Arc, Billy the Kid and Farm Boy.)

'I have been lucky with writers. None have been real trouble. Some I never met. Some I meet only after the book is finished, and some, the easiest to get along with, are the dead ones. Most become friends.' Michael Foreman