Ruffles and the Red, Red Coat

Description

Ruff! Ruff! Hello, Ruffles! Ruffles is a typical toddler who experiences all the highs and lows of preschool life as he learns about the world around him. There are lots of things he likes . . . and lots of things he doesn't! He LOVES scratching, digging and chewing but he does NOT like wearing his coat on rainy days. No, no, no, no, NO! But when Ruffles wants to splash in puddles with his best friend, Ruby, he soon learns that some things are definitely worth wearing your coat for! With brilliantly observed and hilarious animal illustrations by David Melling, whose series, Hugless Douglas, has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

David grew up in London with various siblings and a selection of animals (the dog is probably worth a mention). His father was a sculptor and David would often gawp in wonderment at how faces would slowly emerge from blocks of wood, sheets of metal or bits of plastic. It took him a while to decide what he wanted to do with his pencils (he never stopped drawing), and for a period of time, back in the 1980's, he worked as a cel-renderer and background artist in several animation studios. By the mid 1990's he began illustrating children's books. In 2001 he wrote and illustrated the first of his own picture books; The Kiss That Missed which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway award. He is probably best known for his Hugless Douglas series. To date he has created around 150 books in over 30 languages. David lives in Oxfordshire with his wife and two children. Currently, there are no pets to speak of, now he's over the hamster/stick insect phase.