Simon and his teddy bear, Snowtop, are off to Gran's - for a whole day and a night. So is Simon's big cousin Peter, who thinks he is too big for childish things: possibly Simon and definitely teddy bears; But after a riotous day turning Gran's garden into a pirate adventure playground, Peter realises that friendship comes in all shapes and sizes.

THE ILLUSTRATOR

Alex Ayliffe grew up in Hertfordshire. She loved drawing, painting and sport as a child and went on to art school. Having lived in London and Australia she is now back in Hertfordshire.

PREVIOUS BOOKS: Many books for ABC including Mr McGregor's Breakfast Egg. Oh No Anna by Vivian French for Levinson Books. Let's Be Friends and Let's get a Puppy - Matthew Price.

There are 32 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 1999 by Hachette Children's Group .

Hilary McKay is a critically acclaimed author who has won many awards, including the Guardian Children's Alex Ayliffe is a bestselling author and illustrator. Her characteristic paper collage illustrations won her the Sainsbury's Best Book for Babies award.