Who is Andy Griffiths?
Andy Griffiths is an Australian children's author from Melbourne, best known for the Treehouse series, co-created with illustrator Terry Denton, and for funny books such as Just Annoying! and The Day My Bum Went Psycho.
Griffiths was born in 1961 and worked as a high school English teacher before writing full-time. His early books, including the Just series, were filled with silly humour, pranks and gross-out jokes that made reluctant readers laugh.
The Treehouse series began with The 13-Storey Treehouse in 2011. In each book, Andy and Terry, fictional versions of the author and illustrator, add 13 more storeys to their treehouse, which includes a bowling alley, a shark tank and a marshmallow machine.
Huge success
The Treehouse books have sold millions of copies around the world and have been adapted for the stage. They are among the best-selling Australian children's books of all time.
Griffiths has won many children's choice awards, voted by young readers themselves. His books are praised for getting children, especially boys, excited about reading.
He often performs at schools, libraries and writers' festivals, where his energetic shows are popular with children and teachers alike.
Did You Know?
Each Treehouse book adds 13 storeys, so by The 169-Storey Treehouse the treehouse had grown 13 times.