Dawn McNiff's picture book Jay Runs Away comes out with Templar in 2025. It has flaps. And pirates.

Dawn is the author of several novels and picture books for children, including Smiley Eyes Smiley, Faces, Little Celeste, Worry Magic, How Not To Be Weird and Love From Alfie McPoonst.

She was born in a blue house near the sea in Sussex. She now lives in a brown house near some sheep in the Cotswolds.

In 2008 Dawn did an MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. In the past, she worked as a bereavement counsellor, a copywriter, a teaching assistant and a children's bookseller. Dawn likes dancing to bad 80s songs, going for rainy walks, eating green soup, snoozing by her log burner and writing in cafés.

Other important things to know:

1. she has a cuddly but wayward dog called Jack Humphrey Norbert (aka Wolf) who's in charge of her.

2. Never challenge Dawn to a water fight cos you'll lose. Really...