Tony Chen was born of Chinese parents in Kingston, Jamaica in 1929. Arriving in the United States in 1949, he attended the Art Career School from 1949 to 1951 and received a B. F. A. with honors from Pratt Institute in 1955.

After several jobs as a graphic designer and illustrator, Chen served as Art Director for Newsweek from 1961 to 1972 and was Art Instructor at Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York from 1972 to 1973. He illustrated his first children's book, Too Many Crackers, in 1962 and has illustrated more than twenty 20 books. In addition to his work as a writer and illustrator of children's books, Chen is a painter and sculptor who has exhibited his work in various galleries in New York City.

Chen has received numerous honors and awards including the Children's Book Showcase in 1972 for Honschi and in 1976 for About Owls. He won the Jane Addams Award for The Princess and the Admiral in 1975.