Peter Brown
Peter Brown was born in 1979 and spent his childhood in Hopewell, New Jersey, where he found a love of storytelling from an early age. He wrote his first picture book at the age of six. At about that time, a teacher noticed his potential and took action to find Peter advanced art instruction. He says, “When life was tough, I had my art to keep me company. The self-confidence I gained from feeling like a real artist was invaluable.” As a child, Peter used pictures to share his stories, then began to find the power of words as a teenager. After “studying Life Lessons at the School of Hard Knocks,” he attended the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena California, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in illustration.
Peter Brown has written and illustrated ten books and illustrated six books for other authors. He has written four New York Times Bestsellers, received Caldecott Honor for illustration, and starred reviews in prestigious publications like Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and Horn Book Magazine. His picture books "Mr. Tiger Goes Wild" (2013), "Children Make Terrible Pets" (2010), "The Curious Garden" (2009), and "Creepy Carrots" (2012) by Aaron Reynolds received E. B. White Read Aloud Honors. "You Will be My Friend" (2011) was a recipient of the 2011 Irma S. & James H. Black Award Honor and 2011 Parents Choice Award Silver Medal.
In Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (2013), Chowder (2006), and YOU WILL BE MY FRIEND! (2011), readers learn about the beauty of being yourself and how friends will come to us when we least expect it, even if it seems like we’ve been waiting for forever! Creepy Carrots (2012), Creepy Pair of Underwear (2017), and Creepy Crayons (2022) remind us that sometimes it’s okay to be scared, even if you’re a “big rabbit,” not a “little bunny anymore.” Sometimes, the things we are scared of even help us overcome our fears! We see that, with kindness, care, and an open mind, hard places and people can become beautiful.
Peter Brown has published through Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Simon & Schuster since releasing his first book, "Flight of the Dodo", in 2005. Peter works in watercolor, pencil, acrylic, India ink, and gouache. After creating his original images, he scans them into his computer to combine and arrange into the stunning finished project we see in his books! He relies heavily on storyboards to help him think through the plots of his stories.
Peter now lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he goes wild each day.
Related Exhibitions: A Time and Place for Everything: Peter Brown (2019)