Simon Rae is a poet and broadcaster. For many years he wrote topical poems for the Guardian newspaper and was also presenter of the popular Radio 4 programme, Poetry Please! He then branched out, writing the definitive biography of the great Victorian cricketer, W. G. Grace, followed by a number of plays, before turning to fiction. He published his first novel, Unplayable, in 2009. Stone Butterfly is his second book for children.