publisher tadpole's promise
Dr . Xargle is a series of children ' s picture books written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Tony Ross ; the original six books were published by ___MASK97___ from 1988 to 1993 . It features an alien perspective on human civilization , especially the life of British children and their families . Alternatively , Dr . Xargle is the main character , an alien who studies Earth and teaches schoolchildren about it . Sometimes he takes them on field trips to Earth in human disguises . Finally , " Dr . Xargle " is a 1997 British television series based on the original books . The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , commonly known as the United Kingdom ( UK ) or Britain , is a sovereign country in western ___MASK10___ . Lying off the north - western coast of the European mainland , it includes the island of Great Britain ( the name of which is also loosely applied to the whole country ), the north - eastern part of the island of Ireland , and many smaller islands . Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign statethe Republic of Ireland . Apart from this land border , the UK is surrounded by ___MASK14___ Ocean , with the North Sea to its east , the ___MASK57___ Channel to its south and the Celtic Sea to its south - south - west , giving it the 12th - longest coastline in the world . The Irish Sea lies between Great Britain and Ireland . With an area of , the UK is the 78th - largest sovereign state in the world and the 11th - largest in ___MASK10___ . It is also the 21st - most populous country , with an estimated 65 . 1 million inhabitants . Together , this makes it the fourth most densely populated country in the European Union . The Kate Greenaway Medal is a British literary award that annually recognises " distinguished illustration in a book for children ". It is conferred upon the illustrator by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals ( CILIP ) which inherited it from the Library Association . The Nestlé Children ' s Book Prize , and Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for a time , was a set of annual awards for British children ' s books that ran from 1985 to 2007 . It was administered by Booktrust , an independent charity that promotes books and reading in the United Kingdom , and sponsored by Nestlé , the manufacturer of Smarties candy . It was one of the most respected and prestigious prizes for children ' s literature . Winnie - the - Pooh , also called Pooh Bear , is a fictional anthropomorphic teddy bear created by ___MASK57___ author A . A . Milne . The first collection of stories about the character was the book " Winnie - the - Pooh " ( 1926 ), and this was followed by " The House at Pooh Corner " ( 1928 ). Milne also included a poem about the bear in the children ' s verse book " When We Were Very Young " ( 1924 ) and many more in " Now We Are Six " ( 1927 ). All four volumes were illustrated by E . H . Shepard . Tadpole ' s Promise is a children ' s picture book written by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Tony Ross , published in 2003 . It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize Silver Award and was longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal . Catherine " Kate " Greenaway ( 17 March 18466 November 1901 ) was an ___MASK57___ children ' s book illustrator and writer . Her drawings gave rise to a fashion in young children ' s clothing in the 1880s and 1890s . Jeanne Willis ( born St Alban ' s , England ) is an author of several children ' s books , including " The Monster Bed " ( 1986 ), the " Dr . Xargle ' s Book of ..." series ( 1988  2004 ), and " Shamanka " ( 2007 ). Willis was also a contributor to the authorised Winnie - the - Pooh sequel , The Best Bear in All the World . Willis lives in London , England , with her husband and two children . The Monster Bed is a children ' s book by Jeanne Willis and illustrated by Susan Varley that revolves around the twist on the common " monsters under the bed " story that frighten children . The book is a young reader , normally aimed for 4 years or older . The main character , the monster Dennis , believes that human children are under his bed and will get him as he falls asleep . His mother , however , tries to get him to go to sleep . Eventually , a human child accidentally ventures into their home ___MASK93___ , and both the human and Dennis discover each other , frightening both . Tony Ross ( born 10 August 1938 ) is a British illustrator and author of children ' s picture books . In Britain he may be known best for illustrating the Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon . He has also illustrated the Amber Brown series by Paula Danziger , the " Dr . Xargle " series by Jeanne Willis , and the Harry The Poisonous Centipede series by Lynne Reid Banks . For his contribution as a children ' s illustrator he was U . K . nominee for the biennial , international Hans Christian Andersen Award in 2004 . Horrid Henry is a children ' s book series by Francesca Simon and illustrated by Tony Ross . The first " Horrid Henry " book was written and published in ___MASK76___ by Orion Books and as of 2015 , there have been twenty - four titles published , as well as many other collections , activity books and joke books . Novel Entertainment produced an animated television series for CITV . It is a slice - of - life series featuring the titular Henry , a self - centred , naughty prankster who has issues with authority who will typically be faced with a problem and then wil ften in interesting ways that involve trickery , rule - breaking and elaborate practical jokes . Henry has a brother , whom he bullies , called Perfect Peter , who is the exact opposite .