John O'Brien

John O'Brien was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1953 and graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1975.

Over the course of his career, he has worked with many renowned publishers, illustrating more than 100 children's books, 8 of which he also wrote. He has illustrated publications such as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, Global Finance and Worth, and has contributed to many other collections, anthologies and textbooks. He also had a long relationship with Highlights for Kids magazine, for which he created numerous covers and interior illustrations.

John also had a long career as a cartoonist for many magazines, notably The New Yorker, for which he created 17 covers and more than 200 interior illustrations. His drawings have also been published in the New York Times, Esquire, Fast Company and Omni, among others.

John lives in Delran, New Jersey, in the spring and fall. In the summer, he heads to North Wildwood, New Jersey, where he worked as a lifeguard for the North Wildwood Beach Patrol from 1970 to 2015. John spends the winter months in Miami, Florida.

He plays music both professionally and for fun, mainly Dixieland and Celtic music. He especially loves the banjo and the concertina, but he also plays piano, bass and guitar.

John has a daughter, Tess, who graduated from LaSalle College in Philadelphia.