Robert Ingpen was born in Geelong, Australia. He began studying illustration and design at the Royal Melbourne Technical College (now RMIT University). Since 1970 he has written and illustrated well over one hundred books, and in1986 he was awarded the highest honor in the children's book world, the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, for his long term contribution to international children's literature. His books for minedition include The Dreamkeeper, If You Wish, and The Ugly Duckling.

Featured in New York Times Book Review "8 Picture Books About Books""“A goblin named Tally guides readers through a more-than-20-foot-long foldout reproduction of the massive mural Ingram painted of ‘a room with bookcase walls’ where instead of the great storybooks themselves their most colorful characters come alive."—New York Times Book Review"Ingpen spins a fantastic spell in this imaginative book....Beautiful to look at...these pictures absolutely deserve to be pored over."—Read and Reviews blog