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Laura Freeman facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Laura Freeman is a talented artist who illustrates books for children. She studied art at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Laura has drawn pictures for many books and even for Highlights for Children magazine.

One reviewer from School Library Journal said her illustrations for the book Hidden Figures were "stunning." They noted that her pictures were full of details, like math formulas and space designs. In 2019, Laura Freeman won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work – Children for Hidden Figures, sharing it with the writer Margot Lee Shetterly.

Early Life

Laura Freeman was born in New York City. She was the older of two sisters. Her father was African American, and her mother was Russian-Jewish. Her sister is the singer Roberta Freeman.

Laura knew she wanted to be an illustrator when she was only five years old. Later, she thought about being a ballerina or an editorial illustrator for magazines. But she always came back to her dream of illustrating books.

She chose to go to the School of Visual Arts because the teachers there were very experienced in illustration. It was also an affordable choice for her at the time.

Career as an Illustrator

Laura Freeman did not become a successful illustrator right away. She worked different jobs to earn money. She painted store windows, worked as a waitress, and even worked for fashion brands like Polo and Ralph Lauren.

Her first hardcover book was Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford, published in 2002. The first book she both wrote and illustrated was Natalie's Hair Was Wild!.

Today, Laura mostly uses a computer program called Photoshop for her illustrations. She even uses it for her first sketches. When she starts a new project, she gets the story text and plans how the words and pictures will look together.

Laura thinks research is very important, especially when illustrating biographies. Before the internet, she would visit the New York Public Library to find pictures of almost anything she needed. She enjoys illustrating biographies because she loves learning about the people she draws. She hopes that children who read these stories will see themselves in these important figures. Laura describes her art style as realistic but also playful. She uses different colors and textures to make her illustrations look like collages.

Books Illustrated by Laura Freeman

As Illustrator and Author

  • Natalie's Hair Was Wild!
  • Here We Go Looby Loo
  • If You're Happy and You Know It

As Illustrator Only

  • A Seat at the Table: The Nancy Pelosi Story by Elisa Boxer (2022)
  • Kwame Nkrumah's Midnight Speech for Independence By Useni Eugene Perkins (2022)
  • Ida B. Wells, Voice of Truth by Michelle Duster (2022)
  • The Faith of Elijah Cummings: The North Star of Equal Justice by Carole Boston Weatherford (2022)
  • Standing on Her Shoulders by Monica Clark-Robinson (2021)
  • Stompin' at The Savoy by Moira Rose Donahue (2021)
  • The Highest Tribute by Kekla Magoon (2021)
  • Kamala Harris: Rooted in Justice by Nikki Grimes (2021)
  • Follow Chester! A College Football Team Fights Racism and Makes History by Gloria Respress-Churchwell
  • Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained The Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito
  • Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe by Deborah Blumenthal
  • Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly (2017)
  • Althea Gibson: The Story of Tennis' Fleet-of-Foot Girl by Megan Reid (2020)
  • Dream Builder: The Story of Architect Philip Freelon by Kelly Starling Lyons (2020)
  • A Voice Named Aretha by Katheryn Russel-Brown (2020)
  • Biddy Mason Speaks Up by Arisa White and Laura Atkins
  • The Carver Chronicles Series by Karen English:
    • Dog Days
    • Skateboard Party (2015)
    • Don't Feed the Geckos!
    • Problemas en la Casa de la Lado
    • The New Kid
    • Pizza Party
  • Nikki and Deja Series by Karen English:
    • Nikki and Deja (2007)
    • Birthday Blues (2010)
    • The Newsy News Newsletter (2011)
    • Election Madness (2011)
  • Friends I Love to Keep by Wade Hudson
  • Sights I Love to See by Cheryl Willis Hudson
  • Songs I Love to Sing by Cheryl Willis Hudson
  • Jazz Baby by Carole Boston Weatherford
  • L Is for Liberty by Wendy Cheyette Lewison

Clients Laura Freeman Has Worked With

Awards and Honors

  • 2019 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor for Hidden Figures
  • 2019 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Children for Hidden Figures
  • 2019 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award for Pies from Nowhere
  • 2018 Selected as a "Children's Book All Young Georgians Should Read" for Hidden Figures
  • 2018 American Illustration AI37
  • 2017 Communications Arts Illustration Annual
  • 6 Junior Library Guild Selections for Nikki & Deja and The Carver Chronicles
  • 2009 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book Award Honor for Birthday Blues
  • 2004 Seal of Excellence - Creative Child magazine for A Wild Cowboy

Current Life

Today, Laura Freeman lives with her family in Atlanta, Georgia.

To encourage young people who dream of becoming writers or illustrators, Laura says it's important to be persistent. She advises them to put in the time and effort to achieve their dreams.

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