Born in England in 1924, Alan Gilderdale attended Slade School of Fine Art, University College, London. Alan worked as a painter, printmaker, art lecturer and full-time illustrator. He  had work exhibited in London, Toronto and Auckland and was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Art (UK). His work also featured as cover art and black and white illustrations for a number of other books.
Alan worked with his wife, Betty Gilderdale, on the Little Yellow Digger books. Despite Alan’s initial reluctance to spend months drawing diggers, they submitted text and illustrations to Scholastic who published it as a picture book in time for Christmas 1992. It has been reprinted several times and has become a perennial favourite with New Zealand children.
In 2009, Alan was one of the members of the inaugural Storylines Gavin Bishop Award judging panel.
 

Selected bibliography:

• Nelson Treasure text by Phyl Wardell (Hodder & Stoughton 1983).
• Rifle and Tomahawk text by Mona Tracy (Hodder & Stoughton 1983).
• Silver Island text by Edith Ann Howes (Hodder & Stoughton 1983).
• The Cruise of the Crazy Jane text by Isabel Maud Peacocke (Hodder & Stoughton 1984).
• The Little Yellow Digger text by Betty Gilderdale (Ashton Scholastic 1992).
• The Little Yellow Digger at the Zoo text by Betty Gilderdale (Scholastic 1998).
• The Little Yellow Digger Saves the Whale text by Betty Gilderdale (Scholastic 2001).
• The Little Yellow Digger Goes to School text by Betty Gilderdale (Scholastic 2005).
• The Little Yellow Digger and the Bones text by Betty Gilderdale (Scholastic 2009).

Awards:

Storylines Gaelyn Gordon Award 2003 for The Little Yellow Digger.