Dashleigh the Dachshund

Eva Bea Knight is a British author, illustrator, and primary school teacher with a lifelong passion for storytelling. From an early age, she knew she wanted to create entertaining picture books that celebrate kindness, empathy, and diversity.The inspiration for her stories often begins at home. During long walks with the family's dachshund, Arthur, Eva Bea noticed he was treated like something of a celebrity - especially by children. This sparked a playful question: what if Arthur wanted more from life than simply being admired as "a small bundle of attractiveness"? The answer came in the form of an unlikely partnership with Masha, a British Blue cat, and the Sausage and Mash Pet Detectives series was born.Eva Bea later adopted another dachshund, Florence, who joined Arthur in providing daily inspiration for her stories and illustrations. While both dogs influence her creative work, Eva Bea usually works from photographs, as her four-legged muses are far too busy to sit still for long.Alongside writing and illustrating, Eva Bea continues to teach, where working with children informs and enriches her storytelling.