Mistakes Were Made

Stephan Pastis is an American cartoonist and author. Born in 1968 and raised in California, he formerly worked as a lawyer but began drawing comics while still in law school. Eventually, he decided to leave the legal profession behind and committed to being a cartoonist full-time. His adult comic strip, Pearls Before Swine, began in 2000 and has been published in several collections. It won three Best Newspaper Comic Strip awards, as well as receiving a Reuben Award nomination.

Pastis released his first children’s book, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made in 2013, and has since written six more titles in the series. The series is a New York Times bestseller and resonates with young readers for its relatability, absurdity, and humor. Stephan Pastis now writes comics for both children and adults, and his style tends toward sarcasm, irony, and satire. His work is in conversation with other authors/illustrators like Dr. Seuss, Bill Watterson (Calvin & Hobbes), and Charles M. Schulz (Peanuts). With Timmy Failure, Pastis created a character that speaks to the power of imagination, and the trouble it can get one into.