Born in Portland, Maine, Chris Van Dusen started drawing at an early age. Some of his first illustrations came from passing time with his brothers. He went on to study fine art at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and graduated with a BFA. Eventually he started drawing cartoons for a magazine for teenagers. For more than ten years, he worked as a freelance illustrator specializing in art for kids. His illustrations appeared in magazines like Nickelodeon, FamilyFun, and Disney Adventures. Chris Van Dusen’s first book, Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee, was published in 2000. Since then, he has gone on to create several outstanding books for children, including The Circus Ship, King Hugo’s Huge Ego, and Randy Riley’s Really Big Hit. He is also the illustrator of President Taft Is Stuck in the Bath by Mac Barnett and the best-selling Mercy Watson and Tales from Deckawoo Drive series by Kate DiCamillo. Van Dusen lives in coastal Maine with his wife, two sons, and their yellow lab named Opal.