Peter Clover Biography

Born in London, England. Hobbies and other interests: Painting, reading, movies, gardening, exercise.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Aladdin, Simon & Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

Career

Writer and illustrator. Formerly worked in an advertising agency.

Writings

Drawing Horses and Ponies, Hamlyn Children's (London, England), 1994.

The Best Pony for Me!, Macdonald (Hemel Hempsted, England), 1995.

The Phantom Pony, Corgi (London, England), 1999.

The Storm Pony, Corgie (London, England), 2000.

Dead Cool, Barrington, Stoke (Edinburgh, Scotland), 2003.

"SHELTIE THE SHETLAND PONY" SERIES

Sheltie the Shetland Pony, Puffin (London, England), 1996, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2000.

Sheltie Saves the Day!, Puffin (London, England), 1996, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2000.

Sheltie and the Runaway, Puffin (London, England), 1996, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2000.

Sheltie Finds a Friend, Puffin (London, England), 1996, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2000.

Sheltie in Danger, Puffin (London, England), 1997, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2001.

Sheltie to the Rescue, Puffin (London, England), 1997, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2000.

Sheltie Rides to Win, Puffin (London, England), 1998, Aladdin (New York, NY), 2001.

Sheltie in Trouble, Puffin (London, England), 1998.

Sheltie and the Saddle Mystery, Puffin (London, England), 1998.

Sheltie Leads the Way, Puffin (London, England), 1998.

Sheltie the Hero, Puffin (London, England), 1998.

Sheltie on Parade, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie the Snow Pony, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

The Big Adventure, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie on Patrol, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie Goes to School, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie Gallops Ahead, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

The Big Show, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie: The Big Surprise, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie in Double Trouble, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie Forever, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

The Big Present, Puffin (London, England), 1999.

Sheltie in Peril, Puffin (London, England), 2000.

Sheltie and the Foal, Puffin (London, England), 2000.

Sheltie: The Big Wish, Puffin (London, England), 2000.

Sheltie by the Sea, Puffin (London, England), 2000.

Sheltie Races On, Puffin (London, England), 2000.

Sheltie at the Funfair, Puffin (London, England), 2001.

"RESCUE RIDERS" SERIES

Race against Time, Hodder (London, England), 1998.

Fire Alert, Hodder (London, England), 1998.

Ghost Pony, Hodder (London, England), 1998.

"HERCULES" SERIES

New Pup on the Block, Hodder (London, England), 2000.

Operation Snowsearch, Hodder (London, England), 2000.

Treasure Hound, Hodder (London, England), 2000.

"DONKEY DIARIES" SERIES

Donkey Danger, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Donkey Disaster, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Donkey Drama, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2001.

Donkey in Distress, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2002.

Sidelights

Children's book author and illustrator Peter Clover was born in Islington, North London, and as a child he first aspired to be a gymnast. While he still remembers how to do a graceful cartwheel, Clover changed his career plans and has established himself as the successful author of the "Sheltie the Shetland Pony" series. In addition Clover has created three other short series: "Rescue Riders," "Hercules," and "Donkey Diaries," as well as a few stray books here and there.

Clover gets inspirations from his surroundings, never knowing when an idea will hit him. "I always take a pencil and paper away with me. I keep a notebook handy at all times and jot down anything which might trigger off a storyline," he stated in a profile posted on his Web site.

Sheltie Rides to Win and Sheltie and the Runaway are two of the many books that feature Clover's shaggy Shetland pony. In Sheltie and the Runaway Sheltie and Emma—Sheltie's young owner—wish they had other friends who would understand the unique friendship between girls and ponies. Their wish is answered when they meet Sally and her pony, Minnow, and quickly become fast friends. Soon that friendship is tested when Sally and Minnow run away from home and Sally's overprotective father blames Emma for encouraging his daughter to flee. "Sheltie" fans join Emma and Sheltie as the pair attempt to find Sally and Minnow and bring them home safely. Sheltie Rides to Win finds Emma and her pony joining their friends Sally and Minnow in a local pony show, where they hope to outrank some snobby neighbors.

Clover bases his fictional characters on people he knows, and his focus on horse stories comes from living in horse-and-pony-rich Exmoor. He decided to write children's books after realizing that the two things he most enjoyed doing were writing and creating pictures. "Writing adventure stories for children seemed like the perfect combination," he noted on his Web site. "I wasn't wrong. It's brilliant." While he enjoys both writing and illustrating equally, Clover recognizes how lucky he is to have the ability to create stories in his mind, write them out, and then capture those same characters and events in his illustrations. "When a story starts to form in my head, it just grows and grows," he noted on the Oxford University Press Web site, but quickly added: "The story that is, not my head!"