William Jesse Corbett (1938–2003) was an English children's writer whose literary career began after a diverse series of early occupations. Born and raised in Birmingham, Corbett left home at the age of sixteen to join the British Merchant Navy. He later served in the British Army, working in physical training, before eventually deciding to pursue a career in writing.\n\nCorbett achieved immediate literary success with his debut novel, The Song of Pentecost, published in 1982. The book, which follows the perilous journey of a group of harvest mice seeking a new home, became an international bestseller and won the prestigious Whitbread Children's Book of the Year Award. This success launched a trilogy, with Corbett writing two sequels to complete the Pentecost series by 1987.\n\nIn his later career, Corbett created another popular fantasy sequence starting with The Ark of the People (1998) and The Quest for the End of the Tail (2000). This series focused on the adventures of a miniature society known as the Willow People. Corbett continued writing until his death in 2003, with his final two books published posthumously later that year.
