# Peter Brown (illustrator)

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 wrote 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. An animated film based on The Wild Robot was released in 2024.

## 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, Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, You Will Be My Friend!, and The Wild Robot Escapes. 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.
Awards for books Brown wrote and illustrated :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 2009 | The Curious Garden | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Book | Finalist |
| 2009 | The Curious Garden | NAIBA Books of the Year for Picture Book | Winner |
| 2010 | The Curious Garden | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2010 | The Curious Garden | Children's Choice Book Award: Illustrator of the Year | Winner |
| 2010 | The Curious Garden | E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Book | Winner |
| 2011 | The Curious Garden | Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video | Winner |
| 2011 | Children Make Terrible Pets | E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Book | Winner |
| 2011 | Children Make Terrible Pets | Irma Black Award | Honor |
| 2011 | Children Make Terrible Pets | NAIBA Books of the Year for Picture Book | Winner |
| 2012 | You Will Be My Friend! | Irma Black Award | Winner |
| 2012 | Children Make Terrible Pets | ALSC Notable Children's Videos | Selection |
| 2012 | Children Make Terrible Pets | Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video | Winner |
| 2013 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2013 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Book | Winner |
| 2013 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | Wanda Gag Read Aloud | Honor |
| 2014 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | Boston Globe–Horn Book Award for Picture Book | Winner |
| 2014 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | Bull-Bransom Award | Winner |
| 2014 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | E. B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Book | Honor |
| 2014 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Illustration | Winner |
| 2014 | Mr. Tiger Goes Wild | NAIBA Books of the Year for Picture Book | Winner |
| 2016 | The Wild Robot | Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth | Selection |
| 2016 | The Wild Robot | Goodreads Choice Award for Best Middle Grade & Children's | Nominee |
| 2017 | The Wild Robot | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2017 | The Wild Robot | Charlotte Huck Award | Honor |
| 2019 | The Wild Robot Escapes | ORCA Award for Upper Elementary | Winner |
| 2019 | The Wild Robot Escapes | Nene Award | Runner-Up |
| 2021 | Fred Gets Dressed | Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth | Selection |

### 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 Times bestselling 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.
Awards for books Brown illustrated only :
| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 2012 | Creepy Carrots! | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Book | Finalist |
| 2013 | Creepy Carrots! | ALSC Notable Children's Books | Selection |
| 2013 | Creepy Carrots! | Caldecott Medal | Honor |
| 2013 | Creepy Carrots! | Crystal Kite Member Choice Award: Midwest | Winner |
| 2013 | Creepy Carrots! | E.B. White Read Aloud Award for Picture Book | Honor |
| 2017 | Creepy Pair of Underwear! | Cybils Award for Fiction Picture Book | Finalist |

## 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