David McPhail was born on June 30, 1940 in Newburyport, Massachusetts. As a child, David was very imaginative and creative, pretending to be famous heroes and drawing what he imagined. In addition, he was addicted to books from an early age. He attended Vesper George University from 1957-1958 and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School from 1963-1966. He has been an illustrator of children’s books since 1967 and an author of children’s books since 1971. He says he enjoys writing and illustrating as much as he did when he began.