Freddie Mole, Lion Tamer

Alexander McCall Smith is professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh. He is also the author of over fifty books. These range from adult fiction to specialist titles, such as Forensic Aspects of Sleep, to a wide selection of children's books. In 1999 The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency was published. This book quickly became a bestseller and was voted one of the 'International Books of the Year and the Millennium' by the Times Literary Supplement. Winner of three Author of the Year awards in 2004 (British Book Awards, Booksellers' Association and Waterstone's), and Bloomsbury Publishing are very proud and excited to be re-publishing Alexander's key children's books. Kate lives and works in Birmingham (near the chocolate factory). She studied illustration at Falmouth College of Art, and went on to work for two years as a children's print designer at a studio in Northampton, whilst working freelance on children's books and greetings cards.She has exhibited with her good chums Girls Who Draw and Inkygoodness across the UK, and had a jolly good time painting up a totem pole for the Pictoplasma Character Walk exhibition 2011.Things Kate finds inspiring include Bob Godfrey, Richard Scarry, The Magic Roundabout (in particular Dougal and the Blue Cat), and Sharps Doom Bar.Kate's first picture book THE GREAT SNORTLE HUNT, written by Claire Freedman, was longlisted for the 2013 Kate Greenaway Medal.

A charming and witty story about achieving what you wish for Julia Eccleshare Guardian