Polly Dunbar was born in a tiny hamlet in the Cotswolds, later moving to Stratford-upon-Avon, where she went to school. As a child she loved drawing, especially people and mice.

At the age of eleven she moved to Norwich and later attended Norwich Art School, where she did a foundation course, then Brighton University, where she studied for a degree in illustration.

Polly’s first two books, which she describes as ‘cartoon books inspired by teenage antics’, were published when she was sixteen; she has been writing and illustrating ever since.

Among her most popular books are Dog Blue and Flyaway Katie (both 2004), which explore the world of creativity and the imagination, using a characteristically warm and vibrant palette and a humorous and engaging style.

Her recent projects include a collaboration with her mother, the author Joyce Dunbar, on the picture book Shoe Baby (2005) and her picture book Penguin won the 2007 Booktrust Early Years Award for Best Pre-School book.

Polly lives and works in Brighton.