James Brian Jacques (pronounced 'jakes') was born in Liverpool, England, on June 15, 1939. He is best known as the author of the beloved Redwall series of children's fantasy novels and the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series. His work also includes two collections of short stories: The Ribbajack & Other Curious Yarns and Seven Strange and Ghostly Tales.

Jacques grew up in the area around the Liverpool docks and attended St. John's School, an inner-city school with a playground on its roof. At the age of ten, Jacques's future as a storyteller was foreshadowed when he wrote a short story about a bird cleaning a crocodile's teeth. His teacher, unable to believe that a ten-year-old could write so well, refused to accept that Jacques had produced the work himself and punished him for alleged plagiarism.