Hilda Offen was born in Surrey and lived for the first part of her life on an entirely self-sufficient small-holding. She attended Reigate School of Art for three years and, when she had saved enough money by working for a printing firm, she became a freelance illustrator and worked for magazines and newspapers. She then did an English degree at University College, London which she enjoyed very much. She illustrated many collections of Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Stories and wrote her first book RITA THE RESCUER. She followed this with two others, OLD WILLIAM AND THE SEVENTH SHEEP and MRS. LAMPKINS LODGER. She then started writing and illustrating her own books and has so far written nine. She works at home, but does some teaching in colleges which she values as it gives her a chance to keep in touch with the children she is writing for. She believes that "any book for children should be capable of firing the imagination." Hilda Offen lives in Sussex.
