Ian Whybrow

Who is Ian Whybrow?

Ian Whybrow is a prolific writer of children’s books since his first was published in 1989. He has written over 100 books for children, has been translated into 27 languages and is published in 28 countries. When interviewed on BBC Radio Oxford on 24 March 2009 he stated that he had written 110 books. His books are known for their humour and child-friendliness and range from picture books to novels, short stories and poetry.

Whybrow was born in Gillingham, Kent, and grew up in Margate and Hong Kong. He began his professional career as a teacher, becoming head of English and head of sixth form at The John Lyon School in Harrow on the Hill in north-west London. He subsequently was able to give up teaching to write full-time.

His first book was The Sniff Stories in 1989, which was followed by other books about the character. He is best known for his series of books about Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds. Other popular characters that have featured in series of books include Little Wolf, Miss Wire and Sissy Buttons, but it is Harry who has spawned the most books by far.

Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs series has been adapted into a 104 episode animated television series with a slightly different name, Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs, which premiered on Cartoon Network's Tickle-U block in the United States on August 22, 2005.