SINCE 1986 thousands of schoolchildren have learned to read with the help of Biff, Kipper, Chip and their dog Floppy.

Next month the Oxford Reading Tree scheme, which features the characters in its books, will mark its 30th birthday next month with a series of tea parties across the world.

Author Roderick Hunt and illustrator Alex Brychta, who created the series, will attend a special tea party on Monday, June 20 at the Oxford University Press headquarters in Walton Street, along with Blue Peter presenter Barney Harwood.

Mr Hunt, from Abingdon, taught at a number of the county's schools before becoming a full-time author.

He said capturing children's imagination had been crucial to the success of the series of books.

The 76-year-old said: "I was reading a Ladybird reading scheme with my son and there was not much action going on but in one book a barn caught fire and my son loved it.

"I saw if you could make it enjoyable you had won half the battle.

"As an author you see things and you hone in on them and use them in a story.

"When I was teaching in Abingdon we took the kids out for a trip and one kid kicked a ball and his shoe came off and flew into the lake.

"That was perfect for a story."

Father-of-two Mr Hunt said he deliberately picked the names Biff, Kipper and Chip as they were classless and not specific to a particular part of the UK.

He said: "I am proud of the books, they are sold in 132 counties over the world.

"Alex and I are very big characters in Japan, we went in 2012 and we were feted like princes."

The books, which are taught in primary schools, earned both Mr Hunt and Mr Brychta the honour of being made MBEs for services to children's literature.

The illustrator fled to Britain with his parents in 1968 from Czechoslovakia after the Soviet Union invaded following the Prague Spring.

He created the drawings for the characters after Mr Hunt saw his other work and thought him perfect for the role.

Mr Brychta, 60, said: "Both Roderick and I agreed from the start that humour is something very important when you are dealing with very small children.

"If they find it fun and enjoyable you are halfway there.

"It is now my life's work, over the past 32 years I have worked on pretty much nothing else.

"It is wonderful to hear people say how much they enjoyed reading the books and and that they enjoy their children bringing them home."

Fans of the books have been encouraged to share their passion to get children reading and join in the birthday celebrations using the hashtag #ReadingTree30 on social media and by visiting oxfordprimary.co.uk/readingtree30