Penny Dann

Penny Dann was a well-known and highly talented children's illustrator, whose Secret Fairy range has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.

Penny Dann studied Visual Communication at Brighton Polytechnic and enjoyed a successful career illustrating children's books. Her witty, lively watercolours have added character to many well-known stories and she also wrote her own books.

Penny was born in Slough, Buckinghamshire and was brought up in Stoke Poges. Following an eighteen-month tour around Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and the US, Penny settled in her university town of Brighton.

Penny was well-known for her bestselling The Secret Fairy range of handbooks and novelties for Orchard Books. Among Penny's other books are One for the Pot and Why Not Stay for Breakfast? (Elm Tree Books), two anthologies The Animals' Bedtime Story Book and Read Me a Story (Orion) and three books about Figgy Two Socks and Jefferson Bear (Kingfisher). She also illustrated The Collins Treasury of Poetry edited by Stephanie Nettell and designed a soft toy for Running Press.

Penny Dann trained at Brighton College of Art and has been a full-time illustrator ever since. She has spent much time travelling and living abroad, including living in Australia for a while.