Gareth Peter

It was a performance of ‘Oliver!’, when he was eight years old that inspired Gareth’s love of storytelling and musicals and ultimately led to a career as a composer and lyricist for the theatre. His songs have since been performed on stage and by West End and Broadway voices across the UK and internationally. But it was the arrival of his own children that inspired Gareth to begin writing picture books. Reading with them is a treasured pastime and his ambition is to be part of the reason children love books. He now employs his understanding of rhyme and rhythm, crafted through years of song writing, to create stories that are a delight to read aloud. In 2018 Gareth was selected as one of ten exceptional finalists onto the Penguin Random House Write Now mentoring scheme, seeking new voices from under represented communities. Gareth’s experience as a parent within a same sex couple means he brings a fresh, funny and sensitive perspective to the joys and trials of parenting and family life. The first of Gareth’s stories will feature in Puffin’s 80th Anniversary Anthology, Bedtime Stories for Big Dreamers in 2020 with his debut picture book, My Daddies, following in spring 2021. Forever Star (Puffin) will publish in autumn 2021. Further stories in development are Every Day (Bloomsbury), Yes, Always (Bloomsbury) and an exciting new series of three picture books for Simon and Schuster. Gareth lives in Nottingham with his partner, two huskies and two beautiful adopted children.