Kita Mitchell wrote and illustrated her first work, Cindersmella, at the age of six. It was cruelly and swiftly rejected by publishers. The sequels, Repunsmell and Mouldilocks, were equally badly received.

Disheartened, she turned her attention to making stuff, and, luckily, they did degrees in that. After getting one, she built sets for TV shows - but the feeling she should write funny books for children never went away.

Eventually, she decided to have another go. This time, things turned out a little better. Now, she can tell people she is a proper author, which is great.

Kita currently lives in Oxfordshire with four daughters and a hamster.