Charles Fuge (Charlie to his friends) was brought up in Bath where a fanatical interest in wildlife translated into the drawing of animals. He won the Macmillan Prize in 1988 for Bush Vark's First Day Out, which won the Mother Goose Award the following year. And a career in children's book illustration began. He has since illustrated a raft of picture books including Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball which was runner-up for the Kate Greenaway Medal 2001. Since then Charles has illustrated many books, a number of which he has also written. His Little Wombat series has garnered international recognition for its warm and humorous depiction of an iconic marsupial.