Laurie Keller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laurie Keller
Keller reading at the Gaithersburg Book Festival, 2014
Born	Muskegon, Michigan, USA
Occupation	Illustrator, writer
Alma mater	Kendall College of Art and Design
Genre	Children's non-fiction, picture books

Laurie Keller is an American author and artist who creates amazing books for kids! She writes and draws her own stories for Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers. She also creates pictures for other authors' books.

About Laurie Keller

Early Life and Education

Laurie Keller grew up in Muskegon, Michigan. After high school, she first studied education and dance. Then, a friend showed her the Kendall College of Art and Design. This sparked her interest in art again. She decided to enroll there and earned a degree in illustration.

Career Beginnings

After college, Laurie worked for seven years at Hallmark Cards. She was a greeting card artist. At Hallmark, she got to design whole cards. This made her think about writing and illustrating her own books.

In 1997, she started creating illustrations for Nickelodeon. A year later, in 1998, she even directed six short network videos for Nickelodeon. She used fun materials like pipe cleaners and traditional animation for these projects.

Becoming an Author and Illustrator

Laurie Keller has written and illustrated six popular books for Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. These include The Scrambled States of America, which teaches about U.S. geography. She also wrote Open Wide: Tooth School Inside, a book about taking care of your teeth. Arnie the Doughnut is a funny story about a doughnut that acts like a person. Other books are Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard, Do Unto Otters (about good manners), and The Scrambled States of America Talent Show.

Laurie Keller's Books

Books Written and Illustrated by Laurie Keller

The Scrambled States of America

The Scrambled States of America was Laurie Keller's first book. It came out in 1998. The story is about Kansas, one of the 50 states in America. Kansas gets bored and decides to throw a party with other states like Nebraska and Iowa. At the party, the states meet and decide to switch places!

The states enjoy their new homes for a while. Nevada and Mississippi even fall in love! But soon, they miss their original spots and want to move back. Publishers Weekly said it was a "comical way to learn the 50 states."

• A card game based on the book was made in 2002 by Gamewright. It's for two to four players, aged 8 and up.
• In 2008, Keller wrote a follow-up book called The Scrambled States of America Talent Show. In this story, New York suggests a talent show for all the states. They all get excited and prepare their acts. But Georgia gets stage fright. Kirkus Reviews called it an "exuberant geographical jamboree." This book was also chosen by the Junior Library Guild.
• Weston Woods created an animated DVD version of this book.

Open Wide: Tooth School Inside

Open Wide: Tooth School Inside was Laurie Keller's second book. It was released in 2000. This book tells the story of a day at a special school for teeth! All 32 tooth students are there. The book teaches readers about how teeth work, how to take care of them, and even about teeth in history.

Arnie the Doughnut

Arnie the Doughnut was Laurie Keller's third book. It came out in April 2003. It's a funny story about a chocolate-frosted sprinkle doughnut named Arnie. Arnie is special because he can think and talk! His life changes after a man named Mr. Bing buys him.

The story was also made into a DVD in 2005. The famous actor Michael McKean narrated it.

Other books about Arnie the Doughnut include:

• Bowling Alley Bandit (2013). This book got many good reviews. People said it was a "yummy chapter-book series opener" and "very funny."
• Invasion of the Ufonuts (2014)
• The Spinny Icky Showdown (2015)
• Hello, Arnie! (2020)

Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard

Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard is Laurie Keller's fourth children's book. It was released in 2005. This rhyming book teaches about the numbers 1 through 20. It features a character named Grandpa Gazillion, who runs a junkyard filled with numbers.

Do Unto Otters: A Book about Manners

Do Unto Otters: A Book about Manners came out in 2007. In this book, Laurie Keller brings the "Golden Rule" to life. Mr. Rabbit meets his new neighbors, the Otters. They show kids how simple words like "please" and "thank you" can help make friends. The book is full of well-behaved animal fun.

This book was also chosen by the Junior Library Guild. Weston Woods also made an animated DVD version of this book. Kirkus Reviews said this book "nicely unifies what might otherwise seem like a dreary list of manners."

Birdy's Smile Book (2010)

Birdy's Smile Book was released in 2010. Kirkus Reviews noted that the pictures are "bold and textured." They also mentioned that the book's humor might be best for older children.

Potato Pants! (2018)

Potato Pants! was Laurie Keller's seventh book. It was released in 2018. The story is about a character named Potato and his rival, Eggplant. They both try to find the perfect pair of pants. Weston Woods made an animated version of this book in 2019. It was narrated by a full cast of voices.

Books Illustrated by Laurie Keller

Laurie Keller has also created illustrations for other authors' books. Some of these include:

• Marty Frye, Private Eye by Janet Tashjian (2000)
• Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions by Don Wullfson (2000)
• Stinky Thinking: The Big Book of Gross Games and Brain Teasers by Alan Katz (2005)
• Fooled You!: Fakes and Hoaxes Through the Years by Elaine Pascoe (2005)
• Me and My Animal Friends
• Pluto Gets The Call by Adam Rex (2019)
• I Am The Shark by Joan Holub (2021)