Queens have two birthdays, one on the day they were born and one on the day it would have been most convenient for them to have been born on. It is the convenient one that counts.

This Queen is not a happy little Queen. It's her unofficial birthday and no-one had brought her a present. Not the Prime Minister, not the Treasurer, and not even her lazy Ladies-in-Waiting. All she wants is one small, one very cheap, present. Just because it has four legs and a tail and isn't very easy to wrap up. Shouldn't put anyone off...

There are 96 pages in this book. This book was published 1996 by Hachette Children's Group .

Alf Proysen was born in Norway in 1914. The Mrs Pepperpot books first appeared in the 1950s and were an immediate success. They have been loved by children ever since and have been translated into many different languages. Hilda Offen is a well-known picture book illustrator, who won the Smarties Prize in 1992 for Nice Work, Little Wolf. Since then she has illustrated many picture books, including Fred and Ted's Treasure Hunt. She lives in Brighton. Hilary McKay is a critically acclaimed author who has won many awards, including the Guardian Children's