Born in Kent, England

Ian was a teacher. His first book was The Sniff Stories in 1989. He is best known for his series of books about Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. Other characters that have featured in series of books include Little Wolf, Miss Wire and Sissy Buttons, but it is Harry who has spawned the most books by far.

Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs series has been adapted into a 104 episode animated television series with a slightly different name, Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs.

Little Wolf's book of Badness has been made into an award-winning film for television in 2003.