Astrid Lindgren was born in 1907, and grew up on a farm in the south of Sweden. Her first book was published in 1944, followed a year later by Pippi Longstocking. She published more than one hundred books in her lifetime and is still the most popular children's author in Sweden. Her books have been translated into more than ninety languages, and she received numerous honours and awards including the Hans Christian Andersen Award. She died in 2002. Tony Ross' first book was published in 1976, and he has since illustrated more than 800 books. As well as Horrid Henry and the Little Princess books, he has illustrated books for many other authors, including Roald Dahl, Michael Palin, and Paula Danziger.