Bella Swift author page

Bella Swift biography

Bella Swift is the pen name of a children’s book editor and author who has written several children’s fiction series under different names. Her books are published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Hachette Children’s Group, and include illustrated animal adventures for younger readers.

Swift’s The Pug Who Wanted to… series began with The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Unicorn, published on 4 October 2018. The story introduces Peggy, a pug puppy who is taken in by a foster family shortly before Christmas. Hoping to win the affection of a girl named Chloe, Peggy attempts to transform herself into a unicorn. The series follows Peggy through further adventures involving her family, friends and attempts to become different creatures or characters.

Subsequent titles include The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Reindeer (2019), The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Mermaid (2021), The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Fairy (2022), The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Witch (2023) and The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Superhero (2024). The series has also been published in the United States by Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

Beyond Peggy’s adventures, Swift has written The Llama Bridesmaid (2019), illustrated by Artful Doodlers, The Puppy Who Needed a Princess (2019) and The Flamingo Ballerina (2020). The latter follows Fifi, a flamingo who befriends a young ballet dancer after arriving at a pond near a ballet school. Her other animal stories include Sausage Dog Santa, Sausage Dog Surfer and Spooky Sausage Dog.

In The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Dancer, published by Orchard Books on 12 March 2026, Peggy tries to help Chloe overcome her nerves about performing a dance at a family wedding. A further instalment, The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Detective, is scheduled for publication on 5 November 2026.