Robert Ingpen was born in 1936, and is an established Australian artist and author. He studied illustration art in Melbourne and has designed, illustrated and written more than one hundred published works of fiction and non-fiction.

In 1986 Robert Ingpen was awarded the coveted Hans Christian Andersen Medal for his contribution to children's literature. In recent times he has illustrated editions of other works of classic literature such as Treasure Island, Around the World in Eighty Days, Pinocchio and The Jungle Book.