"And another great animal book: "Uncle Cleans Up," about a millionaire elephant who wears a purple dressing gown and reluctantly engages in violent spats with his neighbours. Written in 1965 by JP Martin, a Yorkshire vicar, and illustrated by Quentin Blake, it has been reissued this year by New York Review Children's Collection in a lovely, clothbound edition." --Kate Summerscale, "The Guardian"
"I've never met a child who didn't love Quentin Blake." -Melanie McDonagh, "Daily Telegraph"
""The Times Literary Supplement" called the books spellbinding'...while the "Times Educational Supplement" likened the books to "Alice in Wonderland."..The books contain many of the elements of the best English children's literature. There is the blurring of the line between the human and the animal kingdom, made familiar by Beatrix Potter and A.A. Milne. There is the quirky humor of 'Toad of Toad Hall' or 'Alice'. And the books are illustrated by the wonderful drawings of Quentin Blake."n

J. P. Martin (1880-1966) published his Uncle stories at the urging of his children, for whom he created. After the last war, he moved to the village of Timberscombe in Somerset, where he served in the small chapel. Six Uncle books were published in the series, the last in 1973, seven years after his death. QUENTIN BLAKE is one of the best-known illustrators of our time, and his books with a wide range of authors, including Joan Aiken, Russell Hoban, Michael Rosen and Roald Dahl, have been treasured by generations of children throughout the world. In 1999 he became the first Children's Laureate. In 2005 he was awarded a CBE, and in 2013 he was knighted for services to illustration. Quentin lives in London.