John was born on April 27, 1936 in Farnham, Surrey, England.
John undertook many jobs as he was growing up, including framing, slum-clearance, forestry, and school building, which involved travelling through Italy, Yugoslavia, and Israel. In 1956, John started his studies at the Central School of Art, where he received a diploma in 1959. He designed posters for London Transport and the British Transport Commission, and also spent a year animating puppets for film in the Middle East. John is married to Helen Oxenbury, another well-known author and illustrator of children's books. They have one son and two daughters. John's first attempt at writing and illustrating a children's book was with Borka: The Adventures of a Goose With No Feathers. It went on to win the Kate Greenaway Medal, which would not be the only time that he won this award for his work. 


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