Mister Magnolia has only one boot - he has an old trumpet, two sisters, a pond, green parakeets, some fat owls, a scooter, a swimming pool; he's a juggler, a general, the owner of a dinosaur... But only one boot - until a wonderful parcel arrives with the most glamorous boot you ever saw.

Quentin Blake was born in 1932 and is one of the world's best loved and most successful illustrator and children's author. He has illustrated nearly 300 books with writers such as Roald Dahl, John Yeoman and Michael Rosen and has also produced films for children on BBC television.

After studying English at Cambridge University and Fine Arts at Chelsea Art School, he became a teacher and for many years taught at the Royal College of Art where he was head of the Illustration Department. Quentin has won numerous awards and prizes and was made an OBE in 1988. He was appointed the first Children's Laureate in 1999.