Eleanor Farjeon came from a family of famous people - her father was a novelist, her grandfather an actor and her three brothers became well known as composers, novelists and producers. Her first book was published in 1916, a collection of poems called Nursery Rhymes of London Town. Her next book Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard made her famous as a writer for children. After her death in 1965 the Eleanor Farjeon award was set up in her memory, to give recognition to outstanding figures in the world of children's books.