Biographical note

Kathryn Simmonds is a writer of fiction and poetry. Her poetry collection Sunday at the Skin Launderette won the UK's Forward Prize for Best First Collection, was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Prize and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. Her short stories have been published in magazines and broadcast on BBC Radio, and her first novel is called Love and Fallout. Kathryn is a graduate of the Creative Writing MA at The University of East Anglia, and Be My Sunflower is her first picture book.

Rosalind Beardshaw has illustrated many books, including My Pet Star which won the Sainsbury's Children's Picture Book Award and the Sheffield Baby Book Award. She has also illustrated Not That Pet! for Walker Books, as well as the award-winning Lulu series and the National Trust's A Walk in the Countryside series. Find her on Instagram as @rosalindbeardshaw and on Twitter as @RosBeardshaw.