Emma McCann was born and grew up in Surrey surrounded by a virtual menagerie of animals, including three rather vicious sisters. After spending her foundation year panicking about what to do with her life, Emma finally listened to what everybody had always told her, and decided to train as an illustrator at Kingston University. At her degree show Meadowside collared her and consequently published her first picture book, Fish Don't Play Ball, in June 2004. Her second picture book, Munch, also published by Meadowside, was long listed for the prestigious Kate Greenaway Award in 2005.

Emma works with gouache paints, ink and a dip pen and also Photoshop using scanned textures and papers.