Cynthia Paterson is a British author best known as the original creator, alongside her husband Brian Paterson, of the children's picture book series Foxwood Tales, which served as the basis for the anime OVA series Fox Wood Tales. The Foxwood Tales books are set in the fictional, peaceful English village of Fox Wood and follow the adventures of three animal friends: Harvey the hedgehog, Rue the rabbit, and Willie the mouse. The series includes numerous volumes, with titles such as The Foxwood Surprise, The Foxwood Smugglers, and The Foxwood Kidnap, published by Hutchinson in the late 1990s.

In this creative partnership, Cynthia Paterson is credited with crafting the stories, while Brian Paterson provided the detailed watercolor illustrations that define the series' visual identity. The collaboration extended to the works' adaptation into animation. The Japanese-produced OVA series, titled Fox Wood Monogatari, was released as three episodes from January 1991 to February 1992. Produced by Zuiyo with animation by Grouper Productions, the series is directly based on the original picture books by Cynthia and Brian Paterson.

The artistic identity of the Foxwood Tales franchise is characterized by gentle, whimsical narratives and a warm tone, focusing on themes of friendship, community, and adventure among anthropomorphic woodland creatures. This style, established in the original books, carried over into the anime adaptation, which was aimed at a young audience and aired with a G rating. The series remains a notable example of Western children's literature being adapted into Japanese animation, representing a cross-cultural collaboration in family entertainment.