What started you on the road to becoming a writer?

I blame my Mum. She read to me and my sisters all the time when I was a child with such enthusiasm and pleasure that books have always meant a great deal to me. By extension, I’ve always thought of writing fiction as being a worthwhile thing to do.

Which of your books are you most proud of, and why?

The Little Wolf series and the Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs series. Together they’ve sold millions and in about 30 languages.

Where do you find the ideas and inspiration for your stories?

This is more complex than you might think. It isn’t just a question of tapping into a Big Kid who lurks below the surface … and bingo - an idea pops up. Children’s behaviour, a bit of language, something that attracts the attention - like a boy in a garden centre wandering about with a bucketful of plastic dinosaurs - these things might start something. Or a publisher might ring you up and suggest writing something for a particular age-group. We have just signed up a guy who does brilliant aardvarks. Could you do us an aardvark story for pre-school children?” That kind of thing.

Which other authors do you like?

I have no particular favourite among children’s writers - though I’ve always admired Maurice Sendak and John Burningham as picture book writers. I still think of Alice in Wonderland, The Wind in the Willows, the Just So stories by Kipling, the Just William stories and so on as terrific - but then, those were the things I read - and my Mum read to me when I was about eight.

Do you have a particular place where you prefer to write?

I have a desk and a desktop pc - but recently, I’ve begun to enjoy the warm feeling you get with a laptop on your knees - and frankly, it’s more comfortable… and doesn’t tie you to one spot.

Tell me three interesting things about yourself.

(a) I’m currently the 15th most read writer in UK libraries and in the top ten children’s list. Arrrroooo!

(b) Being naturally shy and retiring, I don’t usually tell people that my name - Ian Edward Whybrow - means Gift-of-God Noble Warfortress. (My parents had high hopes for me, clearly)

(c) I’m married to a woman who can whistle for a taxi louder than any other person I know.