This book won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, a Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award, and was highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. Henrietta Branford's book "Dimanche Diller in Danger" won the Smarties Book Prize.

"An extraordinary book." Janni Howker, TES; "An excellent read." The Independent; "Brilliantly devised." The Times

Henrietta Branford grew up in the New Forest with, "gun dogs, blood sports and a selection of extremely good old books. My father taught me a great deal about animals from a shooting and fishing perspective. It was a wonderfully accurate and unsentimental way to learn." Among her many books are Dipper's Island, White Wolf and three stories about Dimanche Diller, the first of which, Dimanche Diller in Danger won the Smarties Book Prize. Fire, Bed and Bone won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award and a Smarties Book Prize Bronze Award, as well as being Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal. Henrietta Branford died in April 1999.