James Dean is the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and illustrator of Pete the Cat. He is a self-taught artist originally from Fort Payne, Alabama. He published his first book, The Misadventures of Pete the Cat, a history of his artwork, in 2006, and he illustrated his first children’s book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, in 2008. There are now dozens of published Pete the Cat titles, all inspired by James’s real-life rescue pet.