Tony Mitton biography

Raised in a military family, Anthony Robert Mitton was born Tripoli, North Africa in 1951 and spent the first part of his life here and in Germany and Hong Kong. It was not until he was nine that he came to Britain to attend a Suffolk boarding school. He continued his further education at Cambridge University, eventually gaining a BA in English. Tony Mitton also trained as an English teacher before eventually deciding on teaching at primary school level, which he did from the age of 25, however, by the age of 36 he was teaching on a part-time basis in order to share the parenting of his now two children with his wife, and had begun writing poetry and reading book stories for schools. His teaching career had also changed and he was now found himself working almost exclusively with children with special needs, especially those with literacy and behavioural problems. It was not until he was 40 that he began writing for children in earnest and it was in his late forties that Mitton gave up teaching altogether to concentrate full time on his writing.

His exceptional understanding of rhyme and language and innovative style have ensured that this wordsmith's books have recognised by critics and readers alike; awards including a prestigious Nestl� Smarties Book Prize in 2000 for his book 'The Red and White Spotted Handkerchief'.

He lives in Cambridge with his wife and two children.