John Dougherty was born in Larne, Northern Ireland. He studied psychology at university and then tried his hand at a number of jobs including YMCA hostel worker, factory machine operator, and unsuccessful singer-songwriter, before becoming a primary school teacher. His books have been shortlisted for a number of prestigious awards - and one was chosen by The London Times as one of the Best Children’s Books of the Year 2011 - but, more importantly, they make children giggle.