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 and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

. 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. Of ...

, 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 digitally published media, such as posters, flyers, magazines, books, teaching materials, animations, vi ...

. Following graduation, Keller worked for seven years for

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a Privately held company, privately held, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of greeting cards in the United ...

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 (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

, 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 of the 20th century, until there was a shif ...

. Keller has written and illustrated six books for Henry Holt Books for Young Readers: ''The Scrambled States of America'', an American

geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...

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, tea ...

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 to ...

doughnut A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry 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 fran ...

; ''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 Henry Holt Books for Young Readers in 1998.

Uncle Sam Uncle Sam (with the same initials as ''United States'') is a common national personification of the United States, depicting the federal government of the United States, federal government or the country as a whole. Since the early 19th centu ...

tells the story about

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, one of the 50 states of

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

becoming bored of where he is and organizing a party with

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, where the states meet each other and decide to trade places. The states enjoy their new locations (

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

fall in love as a result.) But soon they become uncomfortable 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 ...

'' gave the book a positive review, noting that "it'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, website, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original proper ...

card game A card game is any game that uses playing cards as the primary device with which the game is played, whether the cards are of a traditional design or specifically created for the game (proprietary). Countless card games exist, including famil ...

of the same name was

published Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

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 New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

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 Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

has stage fright and is worried how her performance will go. ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' believed "this exuberant geographical jamboree will definitely leave readers in a state." The book was a Junior Library Guild selection. * Weston Woods distributes a fully animated version of this book on DVD under the same name.

''Open Wide: Tooth School Inside''

''Open Wide: Tooth School Inside'' was Keller's second book and was released by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers 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 Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, it is the story of an anthropomorphic chocolate frosted sprinkle

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. Over his career he has received a Grammy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. ...

. 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." * ''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 Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, 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 Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. Keller brings the "

Golden Rule The Golden Rule is the principle of treating others as one would want to be treated by them. It is sometimes called an ethics of reciprocity, meaning that one should reciprocate to others how one would like them to treat the person (not neces ...

" 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 sales club, 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 Samue ...

selection. Weston Woods 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 Weston Woods adaptation, released in 2019 and narrated by a full cast, was directed by Galen Fott.

As illustrator only

* ''Marty Frye, Private Eye'' ( Janet Tashjian) –

Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, teachers, parents, children, and other educational institutions. P ...

– 2000 * ''Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions'' (Don Wullfson) – 2000 * ''Stinky Thinking: The Big Book of Gross Games and Brain Teasers'' (Alan Katz) – 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 American children's book illustrators American women children's book illustrators American women children's writers