Growing up as the son of an engineer and physicist, Brown always had an interest in science and technology, but it was his artist grandfather who left an indelible impression on Brown and inspired him to pursue art as a career. Brown began drawing at a young age and wrote his first book at age six, detailing the fictional adventures of him and his beloved dog. Brown began sketching constantly and became fascinated with animated films; he would push pause frequently, stopping the movie to recreate the characters in sketches. Since he lived near farmland, Brown spent hours sketching farm animals and grew to love and respect the natural world. Brown attended Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California, where he received a BFA in Illustration. He studied drawing, painting, and children’s books and later began his career by illustrating books for other authors.

While writing his picture book The Curious Garden, a book set in an urban landscape, Brown became interested in the idea of natural things and unnatural things living together. Inspired by his favorite book about wilderness survival Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Brown wondered what might happen if a robot was forced to survive in the wild.