Tom Tinn-Disbury studied animation at university, where he quickly realised his favourite part of the process wasn’t making things move—it was writing stories and drawing characters. After a brief stint in film editing and broadcast TV, he decided to pursue his true passion: making picture books.

He spent several years building his portfolio before publishing his first book as author and illustrator with New Frontier Publishing. The Caveman Next Door (2019) was Runner Up in the Cambridge “Read It Again” Award, followed by My Summer with Grandad (2021). His third book, Lost in the Clouds (DK), tackled the difficult subject of grief and featured on many recommended reading lists. In 2022, he introduced readers to Brian the Dancing Lion (Capstone/Raintree). He then returned to DK with Stuck in the Middle, a follow-up to Lost in the Clouds, before releasing his latest picture book, Duck Delivers (Hachette, 2025).

Tom creates his illustrations with a mix of pens, pencils, paint, and Photoshop—and fuels his stories almost entirely with coffee and sandwiches. Alongside writing and illustrating his own books, he also enjoys collaborating with other writers to bring their characters to life.