Alison Brown grew up in Bangor, Northern Ireland, and studied art at Manchester Metropolitan University, and Liverpool John Moores University, and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Before becoming a full-time illustrator and writer, she taught English, worked in a bookshop, and designed holiday displays, among other things.

She credits her love of comics and cartoons—particularly Peanuts by her hero Charles M. Schulz—for her path toward a career in picture books. Brown works with publishers around the UK, and her books have been published in many different languages