Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats

Thomas Stearns Eliot was born in St Louis, Missouri, in 1888. He settled in England in 1915 and published his first book of poems in 1917. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948. Eliot died in 1965.

Axel Scheffler has achieved worldwide acclaim for his illustration. The Gruffalo, published in 1999, has become a modern classic, selling more than 2 million copies worldwide and translated into more than twenty languages. He is the author of many other award-winning titles, including The Gruffalo's Child, Monkey Puzzle, Room on the Broom, The Snail and the Whale and Tiddler. An edition of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats with Axel's illustrations was published by Faber in 2009. In 2010, Faber published How to Keep a Pet Squirrel, a gift book for adults. Born in Germany, Axel now lives in London.

Miranda Richardson has made a career spanning film, theatre, television and radio. Twice Oscar-nominated, she is known equally for her dramatic and comic roles ranging from Queen Elizabeth inBlackadderto Rita Skeeter inHarry Potter: Goblet of Fire. She is also the much-loved narrator of theHorrid Henrystories. Miranda lives with two practical cats of her own, plus a dog and several fish. She is kept busy trying to fathom the behaviour of them all. Fish are tricky.