David was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts and attended the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.  While there, he began illustrating.  His first book was “The RUNJUMPBUMB Book by Robert Brooks – published by Little Brown and Company, Boston.  Later that same year (1971) – the first of his own stories was published.  It is titled “In the Summer I Go Fishing” published by Addison-Wesley Press.  In 1972, “The Bear’s Toothache” was published by the Atlantic Monthly Press.  Thus began a wonderful, and all-too-brief association with Emilie McLeod, Editor Extraordinaire, who published some his favorite (of his own) stories, including “Henry Bear’s Park” and “Pig Pig Grows Up”.  He has continued to write and illustrate and there are now well over 100 books with his name on them.

Below is just an example of his illustrations.  A companion website has been created to host all of the David McPhail illustrations available at Surroundings (there are over 200 of them!).  Click on the link below to go directly to

 davidmcphailillustrations.com