You Must Bring a Hat

About Simon Philip

Kate Hindley is the much-loved illustrator of both picture books (including the award-winning You Must Bring a Hat written by Simon Philip) and fiction (The Royal Rabbits of London written by Santa Montefiore & Simon Sebag Montefiore) as well as the author-illustrator of new board book series Treacle Street. She lives in Bristol. Simon was born in Chichester in 1988 and has lived there ever since although he occasionally leaves to buy milk. After gaining a 1st class degree in History at Exeter University he immediately put his skills to good use working as a barman at a local pub. He soon grew tired of the owner calling him Andy and so naturally decided to become a primary school teacher. Teaching rekindled his love of children's literature particularly picture books so much so that he had a go at writing his own. Deciding he was better at writing stories for children than he would ever be at teaching them he made a swift exit from education to live the cliché of the writer who works in a bar. He hopes that one day he'll be able to give up writing stories and become a barman full-time.