James Dean was born in 1957, in Fort Payne, Indiana. He attended Auburn University and completed an engineering degree, before eventually following his dream to of being a full-time artist. He became an Illustrator, and his collaboration with Eric Litwin led to the success of their book Pete the Cat and His White Shoes. He is the illustrator of all the books in the Pete the Cat series. Several of James Dean's Pete the Cat titles including Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool, Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure, Pete the Cat and the New Guy, and Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins made The New York Times Best Seller List in 2015.