Mercer Mayer facts for kids

Mercer Mayer (born December 30, 1943) is a famous American author and illustrator of children's books. He has created more than 300 books, using many different art styles. Mayer is most well-known for his popular Little Critter and Little Monster book series.

Early Life and Artistic Journey

Mercer Mayer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. Because his father was in the United States Navy, his family moved often when he was young. They finally settled in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he finished high school in 1961. While studying at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Mayer decided he wanted to illustrate children's books. He put together a collection of his drawings and tried to show them to publishers. Even though his teachers worried he might not succeed as an illustrator, Mayer didn't give up.

In 1964, Mayer moved from Hawaii to New York City. There, he continued his art studies at the Art Students League of New York. He met an artist named Marianna, who later became his first wife. He also met an art director who told him his drawings were not good enough. Mayer was upset but decided to create a whole new collection of artwork. He worked at an advertising agency and used his free time to draw. These new drawings helped him get illustration jobs from publishers like Dial Press and Harper & Row.

Creating Popular Books

Mayer published his first book, A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog, with Dial Press in 1967. This book was special because it had no words; it told its story only through pictures. Mayer was one of the first illustrators to be recognized for using this type of book. He later made five more books in this series. He also created If I Had a Gorilla, which was about the fun of owning an ape.

His book There's a Nightmare in My Closet was inspired by Mayer's own childhood fears of monsters hiding in his room at night. Some critics compared it to Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, but children and their parents really loved the story. It became very popular, with many different versions released since 1968. The book was even featured on the TV show Reading Rainbow. An animated special was also made, which followed the book closely. The monster from the book even appeared in a music video for Alice Cooper's song "Welcome to my Nightmare".

In 1976, Mayer started working with Golden Publishing, the company that makes Little Golden Books. Through them, he released his "Little Critter" and "Little Monster" series. These books are very popular with young children who are just learning to read.

Family Life and Collaborations

Mercer Mayer has been married three times. He had three children with his first two wives: two sons named Len and Arden, and a daughter named Jessie. With his third wife, Gina, he had two more sons, Ben and Zebulon. Gina worked with him on many of his books starting in the early 1990s. She passed away in 2017. Mercer Mayer currently lives in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Besides writing and illustrating his own books, Mayer has also worked with many other children's authors. He has illustrated books for writers like John Bellairs, Jane Yolen, Jan Wahl, Jay Williams, and John D. Fitzgerald.