Donald Crews grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and spent summers with his grandparents in Florida. The long train trips south would eventually provide the inspiration for several of his works, including the 1979 Caldecott Honor book Freight Train and the acclaimed Bigmama's.

He graduated from The Cooper Union and spent three years working as a designer, but his career was interrupted in 1961 when he was drafted into the army. As the end of his term in the military approached and he began to plan his return to civilian life, he assigned himself the task of writing and illustrating a children's book to add to his portfolio.

The result was the striking concept book We Read: A to Z, published in 1967, quickly followed by the iconic counting book Ten Black Dots. Crews's hallmark flat, clean colors and bright, unambiguous shapes are also found in Truck, a 1981 Caldecott Honor selection; Harbor (1982); School Bus (1984); Flying (1986); and Each Orange Had 8 Slices, written by Paul Giganti (1992).

His books have been published in numerous languages and are a mainstay of children's and classroom libraries nationwide. Donald Crews was married to the late Ann Jonas, who was also a noted and influential author and illustrator of works for children. He lives in New York State.