Born in 1889 in North Carolina, James Henry Daugherty studied art in Washington, DC, Philadelphia, and Europe. The author started his career doing advertising drawings in New York City. Soon afterward, he moved on to illustrating magazines, including the New Yorker, and painting large murals. He came into his own writing and illustrating books for young people—creating drawings for more than 90 books before his death in 1974. Among the many books Mr. Daugherty wrote and illustrated are Daniel Boone, a Newbery Medal winner, and Andy and the Lion, a Caldecott Medal runner-up.