Peter brown childrens author biography


Peter Brown (illustrator) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids

Peter Brown

Brown at the 2014 National Book Festival

BornHopewell, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationIllustrator, writer
NationalityAmerican
EducationArt Center College of Design
GenreChildren's picture books
Notable worksThe Curious Garden (2009)
Children Make Terrible Pets (2010)
Creepy Carrots! (2012)

Peter Brown is an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. He won a Caldecott Honor in 2013 for his illustration of Creepy Carrots!

Biography

Brown was raised in Hopewell, New Jersey and studied illustration at Art Center College of Design. After graduating, he moved to New York City in 2002 to be closer to the publishing industry. He was working on animated TV shows when he signed a book deal to write and illustrate his first picture book, Flight of the Dodo.

Brown quickly signed up his second and third books, and his career as an author and illustrator of children’s books was under way. Since then Brown has written and illustrated many books for children and earned numerous honors, including a Caldecott Honor, a Horn Book Award, two E.B. White Awards, two E.B. White Honors, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, a Golden Kite Award, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award and multiple New York Times bestsellers that include the novels The Wild Robot,The Wild Robot Escapes, and The Wild Robot Protects.

Awards and honors

As writer and illustrator

Four of Brown's books are Junior Library Guild books: You Will Be My Friend! (2011), My Teacher Is a Monster! (2014), The Wild Robot (2016), and The Wild Robot Escapes (2018),

Six of Brown's books have landed on the New York Times bestseller list: Children Make Terrible Pets,The Curious Garden,The Wild Robot,The Wild Robot Escapes, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and You Will Be My Friend! The Wild Robot, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, and My Teacher is a Monster! are also IndieBound bestsellers. The Wild Robot Escapes is also a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller.

In 2009, The Curious Garden was named one of the best children's books of the year by Publishers Weekly.

In 2010, The New York Times named Children Make Terrible Pets one of the best illustrated children's books of the year.

In 2014, My Teacher is a Monster! was named one of the best children's books of the year by Publishers Weekly.

In 2016, The Wild Robot was named one of the best children's books of the year by Kirkus Reviews, the New York Public Library, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness.

In 2019, The Wild Robot Escapes was named one of the best children's books of the year by Amazon, Entertainment Weekly, the New York Public Library, and School Library Journal.

The same year, Booklist included The Wild Robot on their "50 Best Middle-Grade Novels of the 21st Century" list.

YearTitleAwardResultRef.
2009Curious GardenThe Curious GardenCybils Award for Fiction Picture BookFinalist
NAIBA Books of the Year for Picture BookWinner
2010ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection
Children's Choice Book Award: Illustrator of the YearWinner
E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture BookWinner
2011Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's VideoWinner
Children Make Terrible PetsE. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture BookWinner
Irma Black AwardHonor
NAIBA Books of the Year for Picture BookWinner
2012You Will Be My Friend!Irma Black AwardWinner
Children Make Terrible PetsALSC Notable Children's VideosSelection
Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's VideoWinner
2013Mr. Tiger Goes WildALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection
Cybils Award for Fiction Picture BookWinner
Wanda Gag Read AloudHonor
2014Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Picture BookWinner
Bull-Bransom AwardWinner
E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture BookHonor
Golden Kite Award for Picture Book IllustrationWinner
NAIBA Books of the Year for Picture BookWinner
2016The Wild RobotBooklist Editors' Choice: Books for YouthSelection
Goodreads Choice Award for Best Middle Grade & Children'sNominee
2017ALSC Notable Children's BooksSelection
Charlotte Huck AwardHonor
2019The Wild Robot EscapesORCA Award for Upper ElementaryWinner
Nene AwardRunner-Up
2021Fred Gets DressedBooklist Editors' Choice: Books for YouthSelection

As illustrator

Four of the books Brown has illustrated are Junior Library Guild selections: Kaline Klattermaster’s Tree House (2008), Creepy Carrots! (2012), Creepy Pair of Underwear! (2017), and Creepy Crayon! (2022).

Creepy Carrots!, Creepy Pair of Underwear, and Creepy Crayon! are New York Timesbestselling books. Creepy Carrots! is also an IndieBound bestseller.

In 2017, Amazon, the Los Angeles Public Library, and Kirkus Reviews named Creepy Pair of Underwear one of the best children's books of the year.

In 2022, Kirkus Reviews named Creepy Crayon! one of the best children's books of the year.

Publications

As writer and illustrator

  • Flight of the Dodo (2005)
  • Chowder (2006)
  • The Fabulous Bouncing Chowder (2007)
  • The Curious Garden (2009)
  • Children Make Terrible Pets (2010)
  • You Will Be My Friend! (2011)
  • Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (2013)
  • My Teacher is a Monster! (No, I Am Not.) (2014)
  • The Wild Robot (2016)
  • The Wild Robot Escapes (2017)
  • Fred Gets Dressed (2021)
  • The Wild Robot Protects (2023)

As illustrator

  • Barkbelly (2006) by Cat Weatherill
  • Snowbone (2007) by Cat Weatherill
  • Kaline Klattermaster’s Tree House (2008) by Haven Kimmel
  • The Purple Kangaroo (2009) by Michael Ian Black
  • Creepy Carrots! (2012) by Aaron Reynolds
  • Creepy Pair of Underwear! (2017) by Aaron Reynolds
  • Creepy Crayon! (2022) by Aaron Reynolds