John Shelley was born in Birmingham UK and began illustrating in London, his first children's picture book being shortlisted for the Mother Goose Award. Fascinated by Japanese art, in 1987 he moved to Tokyo in search of the missing link between samurai and Sony, making it his home for the following 21 years, receiving awards for a wide variety of illustration work in addition to producing children's books for Western and Japanese publishers. Once more based in the UK, he currently lives in Norfolk with his daughter and a cat called Pixie.He's a long-time volunteer for the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is a member of the Society of Authors and Picture Book Artists.