John trained in typography and book design at the Harris College in Preston, Lancashire, UK and worked briefly as a designer for a couple of publishers in London, England. Later, he did various jobs to earn a living, whilst developing his writing and illustrating skills and trying to get his own children's books published. John's first self-authored illustrated children's book was published in 1980 - The Seasons in Fern Hollow. Since then he has had more than 100 titles published in many countries around the world and translated into many languages - including his retellings of many of the classic fairy tales by Hans Andersen, the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault and others. John has written, designed and illustrated both "flat" books and pop-up books including doing the paper engineering. He is perhaps best known for his Tales from Fern Hollow series of children's books which were first published in the 1980s and 1990s.
