The combination of exciting action, vivid characters and fabulously detailed illustrations still make the Little Tim series enthralling. The Ultimate First Book Guide

EDWARD ARDIZZONE was the eldest of five children. In 1905 his family moved to Ipswich, where he learnt to know and love the little coastal steamers that he was to draw so often in the Little Tim books. Illustrator of more than 170 much-loved children's books, Edward Ardizzone was awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1956 and the CBE in 1971. He died in 1979. Comedian, actor, presenter and writer STEPHEN FRY was born in 1957 in London. He attended Queen's College Cambridge from 1979, joining the Cambridge Footlights Dramatic Club. His television successes include Blackadder, A Bit of Fry & Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. Stephen has written for television and screen, and as a newspaper columnist - for the Literary Review, Daily Telegraph and The Guardian. Stephen Fry's four novels are The Liar, The Hippopotamus, Making History and The Stars' Tennis Balls. He is well-known for his audio recordings, which include all seven of the Harry Potter novels.