Meet Siân

I've loved books for as long as I can remember. They took me to magical places where I could swim with mermaids, have lunch with pirates and still be home in time for tea.

Teaching meant I never really left those magical worlds behind. We explored forests with Max in Where the Wild Things Are, sailed away with The Owl and the Pussy-cat, built magical classroom displays and used stories to inspire our own creative writing. Teaching English and drama to older pupils helped me understand how children connect with characters and stories, something that still shapes my writing today.

I kept scribbling stories, writing poems and playing with words. Creating miniature scenes with Nell the Mouse opened up a whole new way of telling stories, and the little captions I wrote for Instagram gradually grew into longer stories.

One of those stories became Cat Wanted.

It turned out that Cat Wanted was only the beginning. More adventures soon followed.

When I visit schools, I bring my stories to life through drama, character props and plenty of opportunities for children to join in. I love watching children become part of the adventure and step into the worlds of Betty, Toff and all the other characters I've created.

After one of my school visits, a little girl hugged her copy of Cat Wanted, looked up at me and said,

"This is my destiny."

I'll never forget those four little words.