Kay Chorao, born as Ann McKay Sproat on January 7, 1936,
Children Literature Network. Retrieved August 9, 2008. (some sources say 1937) in

Elkhart, Indiana Elkhart ( ) is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, Indiana, east of Chicago, Illinois, and north of Indianapolis, Indiana. Elkhart has the larger population of the two principal cities of th ...

, is an American artist, illustrator and writer of children's books.

Biography

Chorao was born in

, into a middle-class, suburban family.Continuum Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
Archived at Google Books. She loved and was encouraged to draw at a young age. She attended

Laurel School Laurel School is a private school for girls in Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1896 by Jennie Prentiss and operates on two campuses; the Lyman Campus in Shaker Heights and the Butler Campus in Novelty. Notable alumnae ...

in Shaker Heights, OH. Chorao went to Wheaton College, where in 1958 she earned a Bachelor of Arts in

art history Art history is the study of aesthetic objects and visual expression in historical and stylistic context. Traditionally, the discipline of art history emphasized painting, drawing, sculpture, architecture, ceramics and decorative arts; yet today ...

. After that, Chorao pursued her graduate study at

Chelsea School of Art Chelsea College of Arts is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London based in London, United Kingdom, and is a leading British art and design institution with an international reputation. It offers further and higher educat ...

from 1958 to 1959. Chorao got married and had three sons before moving to New York with her family. From 1966 to 1968, she studied book illustration at

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in New York.

Career

Besides writing self-illustrated children's books, Chorao has been the illustrator for many books by

Jane Yolen Jane Hyatt Yolen (born February 11, 1939) is an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and children's books. She is the author or editor of more than 350 books, of which the best known is '' The Devil's Arithmetic'', a Holocaust novella. H ...

Judith Viorst Judith Viorst (; née Stahl,Aarons, Leroy ''People (magazine)'', February 18, 1980 Vol. 13 No. 7. Accessed August 4, 2016. "Born in Maplewood, N.J., the daughter of an accountant and a mother 'who was a reader and a bridge player,' Judith Stahl ...

Jan Wahl Jan Boyer Wahl (April 1, 1931 - January 29, 2019) was an American children's author. He was a prolific author of over 120 works, and was known primarily for his award-winning children's books, including ''Pleasant Fieldmouse'', ''The Furious Fl ...

, and Marjorie Sharmat. Chorao published her first book, ''The Repair of Uncle Toe'', in 1972. Since then, she has written and illustrated more than fifty books. Her illustrations have been exhibited several times by

American Institute of Graphic Arts The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity. T ...

and

Society of Illustrators The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. It was founded in 1901 to promote the art of illustration and, since 1959, has held an annual exhibition. History Founding The Society of Illustrators was founded on ...

. Chorao has received the

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organization ...

twice; the first time in 1979 as the illustrator of ''Chester Chipmunk's Thanksgiving'', by Barbara Williams; and the second time in 1989 as the illustrator of ''The Good-Bye Book'', by Judith Viorst. In 1975, Chorao illustrated ''Albert's Toothache'', by Barbara Williams. The book was critically successful, being given the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

's notable book citation and Children's Book Showcase title. In 1979, her 1974 book ''Ida Makes a Movie'' was adapted into a short film by the same name, which would become the genesis for the highly successful ''

Degrassi ''Degrassi'' is a Canadian television franchise created by Kit Hood and Linda Schuyler in 1979. It is centred on a multigenerational teen drama about an ensemble cast of teenagers attending the namesake Toronto school as they navigate their ad ...

'' teen drama franchise. In 1988, Chorao published ''Cathedral Mouse'', which was well received by critics and featured among the ten best children's picture books of the year, by ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''. In 1990, Chorao's book ''Baby's Lap Book'' was selected by

among the list of "Books to Grow On" for children from 6 to 12 months. The following year, she published ''Here Comes Kate'', which was named among the Pick of the decade 1995–2005 "Best books for children" list compiled by

New Jersey State Library The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...

, Clifton Public Library and Woodbridge Public Library. In 1994, Chorao self-illustrated book ''Annie and Cousin Precious'' was picked by

International Reading Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dialo ...

as one of the Children's Choices for 1995.Children's Choices for 1995
Retrieved August 9, 2008.

Selected works

As writer and illustrator

*''The Repair of Uncle Toe'' (1972) *''A Magic Eye for Ida'' (1973) *''Ralph and the Queen's Bathtub'' (1974) *''Ida Makes a Movie'' (1974) *''Maudie's Umbrella'' (1975) *''Cathedral Mouse'' (1988) *''Ida and Betty and the Secret Eggs'' (1991) *''Annie and Cousin Precious'' (1994) *''Jumpety-Bumpety Hop: A Parade of Animal Poems'' (1997) *''Little Farm by the Sea'' (1998) *''Here Comes Kate'' (2000)

"Baby" series

*''The Baby's Lap Book: Nursery Rhymes'' (1977, re-released with color illustrations in 1990) *''The Baby's Bedtime Book: Poems and Rhymes'' (1984) *''The Baby's Good Morning Book: Poems and Rhymes'' (1986) *''The Baby's Christmas Treasury: Poems, Stories, and Songs'' (1991)

''Oink and Pearl'' series

#''Oink and Pearl'' (1981) #''Ups and Downs with Oink and Pearl'' (1986)

As Illustrator only

*''The Witch's Egg'' by Madeleine Edmondson (1974) *''Clyde Monster'' by Robert L. Crowe (1976) *''Whose House?'' by Barbara Seuling (2004) *''Grandma's Hurrying Child'' by

(2005)

Books by Majorie Weinman Sharmat

Books by

Marjorie W. Sharmat Marjorie Weinman Sharmat (November 12, 1928 – March 12, 2019) was an American children's writer. She wrote more than 130 books for children and teens and her books have been translated into several languages. They have won awards including Book ...

that are illustrated by Kay Chorao: *''I'm Terrific'' (1977) *''Thornton the Worrier'' (1978) *''Grumley the Grouch'' (1980) *''Sometimes Mama and Papa Fight'' (1980)

Book by Judith Viorst

Books by

that are illustrated by Kay Chorao: *''My Mama Says there Aren't any Zombies, Ghosts, Vampires, Creatures, Demons, Monsters, Fiends, Goblins, or Things'' (1973) *''The Good-bye Book'' (1988)

Books by Jan Wahl

Books by

that are illustrated by Kay Chorao: *''Frankenstein's Dog'' (1977) *''Dracula's Cat'' (1978)

Books by Barbara Williams

Books by Barbara Williams that are illustrated by Kay Chorao: *''Albert's Toothache'' (1974) *''Kevin's Grandma'' (1975) *''Someday, Said Mitchell'' (1976) HB *''Chester Chipmunk's Thanksgiving'' (1978) *''A Valentine for Cousin Archie'' (1981)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chorao, Kay 1936 births Living people American children's writers American children's book illustrators American women illustrators People from Elkhart, Indiana Writers from Indiana Wheaton College (Massachusetts) alumni 21st-century American women