WHAT is the secret behind a children’s author calling himself the ‘Banksy of the book world’?

Political, controversial and mysterious are words associated with Banksy, the street artist. whose identity remains unconfirmed even though his work has been seen since the 1990s.

Could such a figure exist in the world of books?

Enter Ditchy Fields, a children’s author of fiction who deals with issues young people face in everyday life

Ditchy said it his intention to prepare young minds for the rigours of adult life by using humour and wit.

In true Banksy style, Ditchy has never been seen, randomly leaving signed copies of his debut book ‘The Last Christmas Card’ in places all over the country.

The books are easily recognisable as they look like Christmas card and will be placed in a traditional landscape position.

This, together with the sight of a Christmas card displayed in August/September, will make them unmistakable, says Ditchy.

Subtitled ‘Hannah and her Nanna’, The Last Christmas Card, is a heart-warming story of a 12-year-old girl, Hannah, who is temperamental and argumentative.

She is raised by her philosophical nanna, a spokesperson for the ‘Save our Christmas’ campaign’ and although nanna deals with problems on the world stage, she cannot seem to get to the bottom of her own granddaughter’s misbehaviour.

In an interview with the T&A, Ditchy admitted to admiring famous artist Banksy, who leaves his artistic impressions on buildings everywhere.

“I like his image,” said Ditchy. “He’s anonymous and will turn up, do his stuff and then disappear.”

When asked who he was, Ditchy told the the T&A: “That’s the secret.”

And although launching a Christmas book in the middle of summer may appear to be a crazy idea, Ditchy admitted this is the “sort of zany thing” he does.

He said: “This book is for life, not just for Christmas!”

Ditchy addresses a number of issues in his book aimed at helping young people “prepare for life”, including online and physical bullying, racial abuse, mental health and global warming.

“The kids of today have to put up with a lot,” said Ditchy. “I was brought up before the internet took hold. Bullying in my day was not online, but physical. It was a totally different era.”

To promote his debut book, Ditchy is secretly leaving signed copies randomly throughout the UK.

Having already left books in Surrey, Cornwall, and Staffordshire, Ditchy will be leaving books in Bradford and all over Yorkshire in the next few weeks. This week, Ditchy will take in West Yorkshire cities Wakefield and Bradford and South Yorkshire's Sheffield and Doncaster.

The first clue to the books’ whereabouts is:‘ West Yorkshire's ‘Jane ______________’ the Cruising Singer.’

Ditchy hinted that Wakefield is her home town. The clue can also be found on Ditchy’s Instagram page @ditchyfieldsauthor.

If you find a 'Ditchy' send a photo of yourself with the book to ditchyfieldsauthor@hotmail.com and they will be posted on ditchyfieldsauthor Instagram site.

The book is available from Amazon in paperback now or as an e-book from October 2.