Posy Simmonds is best known for a strip cartoon which ran in the Guardian, for her graphic novels Gemma Bovery and Tamara Drewe, and for a string of distinctive children's books. Her style combines an inventive look at everyday life and a distinctive sense of humour creating stories that can be enjoyed by children and their parents.

Posy was born in Berkshire. She went to boarding school, studied at the Sorbonne, and returned to England to attend art school. It was her work for the Guardian that established her as artist and social commentator. In 1987 she began writing and illustrating children's books.

Posy combines imagination with her own personal observation of everyday events to create witty and touching stories. Her first picture book, Fred, was described by the Guardian as "a pure delight". A film version of the book was nominated for an Oscar in 1998. Her wicked charm and brilliant illustrations were delightfully demonstrated again in Lulu and the Flying Babies, considered by Cosmopolitan as "serious for children, hilarious for adults" and "a two-way treat". Her third picture book was The Chocolate Wedding. Other books include Bouncing Buffalo and The Freezing Alphabet.

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