Laurie Keller is an American children's writer and illustrator. She has written and illustrated books for Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers, and produced illustrations for others.

Life

Keller grew up in

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expa ...

. After graduating high school, she took education classes at a local community college and studied dance until a friend brought her to see a show at the

Kendall College of Art and Design Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD) is a college of art and design located in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. Founded in 1928 as a private art academy, the college merged with Ferris State University in 2000. Off ...

, which re-sparked her interest, causing her to enroll and receive a degree from the college in

illustration An illustration is a decoration, interpretation or visual explanation of a text, concept or process, designed for integration in print and digital published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vid ...

. Following graduation, Keller worked for seven years for

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...

as a greeting card artist. While there, she was allowed to design entire cards, which caused her to consider writing and illustrating books. Starting in 1997, she made illustrations for

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television television channel, channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its List of assets owned by Param ...

, and later in 1998, she directed 6 network ID's for the channel with Pitch Productions, using pipe-cleaners and

cel animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Proce ...

. Keller has written and illustrated six books for

Henry Holt Books for Young Readers Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt (publisher), Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. Currently, the company p ...

: ''The Scrambled States of America'', an American

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...

book; ''Open Wide: Tooth School Inside'', a dental book about

tooth A tooth ( : teeth) is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores and omnivores, also use teeth to help with capturing or wounding prey, tear ...

care; ''Arnie the Doughnut'', about an

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of food made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franc ...

; ''Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard'', a number book, ''Do Unto Otters'', a book about manners; and ''The Scrambled States of America Talent Show'', the follow-up to her 1998 debut.

Books

As writer and illustrator

''The Scrambled States of America''

Keller's first book, '' The Scrambled States of America'', was released by

in 1998.

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (which has the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the federal government of the United States or the country in general. Since the early 19th century, Uncle Sam has been a popular symbol of ...

tells the story about the 50 states of

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

becoming bored of where they are and organizing a party, where the states meet each other, hit it off, and decide to trade places. The states enjoy their new locations, and

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

fall in love. But soon they become tired and want to move back to where they were before. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'' gave the book a positive review, noting that " 's hard to imagine a more engaging (or comical) way to learn the 50 states and their locations." * A

tie-in A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prope ...

card game A card game is any game using playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, be they traditional or game-specific. Countless card games exist, including families of related games (such as poker). A small number of card ...

of the same name was

published Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

in 2002 by Gamewright. It is a two to four-player game geared toward players 8 years old and up. * In 2008, Keller followed up with a companion book, ''The Scrambled States of America Talent Show''. New York comes up with the idea of having all the states participate in a talent show. The states eagerly agree and prepare for their acts. However, Georgia has stage fright and is worried how her performance will go. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...

'' believed "this exuberant geographical jamboree will definitely leave readers in a state." The book was a Junior Library Guild selection.

''Open Wide: Tooth School Inside''

''Open Wide: Tooth School Inside'' was Keller's second book and was released by

in 2000. It tells the story of a day in a tooth school, with all 32 tooth students present. The book reviews the biology of teeth, tooth care, and teeth in history.

''Arnie the Doughnut''

''Arnie the Doughnut'' was Keller's third book. Released in April of 2003 by

, it is the story of an anthropomorphic

named Arnie, who changes his fate after being purchased by Mr. Bing. The story was also released on DVD in 2005, narrated by

Michael McKean Michael John McKean (; born October 17, 1947) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, composer, singer, and musician known for various roles in film and television such as Lenny Kosnowski in '' Laverne & Shirley'', David St. Hubbins in '' ...

. Other Arnie the Doughnut books include: * ''Bowling Alley Bandit'' (2013). This book has received numerous positive reviews including – "yummy chapter-book series opener." "Keller shrewdly targets hesitant readers with an abundance of goofy comedy" " I would recommend this book to kids or adults that prefer silly books. It's very funny and made me laugh every page." "This book, with comic type illustrations, will entertain children who enjoy humor, puns, and silliness." It is also a 2016 Nutmeg Book Award Elementary Nominee and appears on many school and library reading lists. * ''Invasion of the Ufonuts'' (2014) * ''The Spinny Icky Showdown'' (2015) * ''Hello, Arnie!'' (2020)

''Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard''

''Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard'' is the fourth children's book by Keller. Released in 2005 by

, it tells, in rhyme, about the numbers 1 through 20 using the character of Grandpa Gazillion, who runs a junkyard full of numbers.

''Do Unto Otters: A Book about Manners''

''Do Unto Otters: A Book about Manners'' was released in 2007 by

. Keller brings the " Golden Rule" to life in the form of Mr. Rabbit and his new neighbors, the Otters, who show kids that a simple "please" or "thank you" goes a long way in making friends, while animating every page with their well-behaved hijinks. This book was a

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samuel W. Craig and H ...

selection.

Weston Woods Weston Woods Studios (or simply Weston Woods) is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children. It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near h ...

distributes a fully animated version of this book on DVD under the same name.

stated "While kids may well have encountered the Golden Rule elsewhere, this explanation and elaboration nicely unifies what might otherwise seem like a dreary list of manners. This lively book is anything but."

''Birdy's Smile Book'' (2010)

''Kirkus Reviews'' found that "The collaged illustrations are bold and textured and occupy white space in Keller's characteristically exuberant style." but "The narrative voice and illustrative feel ... are at odds with much of the content, which requires the sense of humor and irony of an older child. Whether they will embrace the presentation and Birdy's exhaustive salute remains open to question."

''Potato Pants!'' (2018)

''Potato Pants!'' was Keller's seventh book and was released by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in 2018. It tells the story of Potato and his eggplant nemesis, who struggle to find the perfect pants. The

adaptation, released in 2019 and narrated by a full cast, was directed by

Galen Fott Galen Sander Fott (born September 9, 1963) is an American director, animator, writer, and actor. His animated short films have won awards and have screened at film festivals in London, Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Houston (twelve-time Remi Awa ...

As illustrator only

* ''Marty Frye, Private Eye'' (

Janet Tashjian Janet Tashjian is an American writer living in Los Angeles. Her children's and young adult fiction is published by Henry Holt and Company. Her books often incorporate different formats and play with the line between fiction and non-fiction. She ...

) –

Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

– 2000 * ''Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions'' ( Don Wullfson) – 2000 * ''Stinky Thinking: The Big Book of Gross Games and Brain Teasers'' (

Alan Katz Alan may refer to: People * Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname * Alan (given name), an English given name **List of people with given name Alan ''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.'' * ...

) – Simon & Schuster, Inc. – 2005 * ''Fooled You!: Fakes and Hoaxes Through the Years'' ( Elaine Pascoe) – Henry Holt and Co. – 2005 * ''Me and My Animal Friends'' * ''Pluto Gets The Call'' (Adam Rex) – 2019 * ''I Am The Shark'' (Joan Holub) – 2021

References

External links

*
Henry Holt
author biography.
Laurie Keller profile
at the Career Cookbook * {{DEFAULTSORT:Keller, Laurie Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American children's writers American women illustrators American illustrators Writers from Michigan People from Muskegon, Michigan 21st-century American women