In this special birthday book, we have collected new and previously published pieces by today's most acclaimed children's writers, and extracts from well-loved children's literature, all accompanied by stunning artwork from leading illustrators. This collection includes stories, poems, fiction and non-fiction extracts - all specially chosen around the theme of birthdays and all with introductions by authors and celebrities. Royalties will go to the Prince's Foundation for Children and the Arts, which works closely with local and national arts providers (like theaters, orchestras, museums and galleries) and schools to provide high quality and sustained access to the arts for children who would otherwise not have this access. This anthology gathers together some of the best-known authors and illustrators writing and illustrating for children, including: Philip Ardagh; Peter Bailey; Nicola Bayley; Ian Beck; Patrick Benson; Anna Bhushan; Malorie Blackman; Quentin Blake; Valerie Bloom; Lewis Carroll; Emma Chichester Clark; Eoin Colfer; Susan Cooper; Frank Cottrell-Boyce; and, Kevin Crossley-Holland.Others include Roald Dahl, Alexis Deacon, Maura Dooley, Sara Fanelli, Anne Fine, Hannah Firmin, Catherine Fisher, Michael Foreman, John Foster, Jamila Gavin, David Gentleman, Emily Gravett, Anthony Horowitz, Norman Hunter, Eva Ibbotson, Bruce Ingman, John Lawrence, Mick Manning & Brita Granstrom, Geraldine McCaughrean, Roger McGough, Michael Morpurgo, Andrew Motion, E. Nesbit, Philip Pullman, Arthur Ransome, Chris Riddell, David Roberts, J. K. Rowling, Axel Scheffler, Nick Sharratt, Posy Simmonds, Joel Stewart, Noel Streatfeild, Eleanor Updale, Charlotte Voake, Jacqueline Wilson, Chris Wormell, and Kit Wright.