Valerie Thomas is the author of the bestselling and much loved Winnie the Witch picture books, illustrated by Korky Paul. Valerie was born in Australia and has lived there for most of her life. She is a teacher, and has taught in primary, secondary, and special schools in Australia and England as well as lecturing in English Teaching Method in a Teachers’ College in Melbourne. “Sometimes having no script, having no idea what is going to happen next, having no map, might be the way to go. Because life just happens, and when it does, how you handle it will teach you more about who you are than any class or test ever can. The best preparation for the rest of your life is, maybe, no preparation at all. Dive right in. Make mistakes. Break a few rules.”