Mercer Mayer facts for kids

Mercer Mayer (born December 30, 1943) is a famous American children's author and illustrator. He has created over 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 around a lot when he was a child. They eventually settled in Honolulu, Hawaii. Mayer finished high school there 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 showed them to publishers. Even though some of his teachers worried he might not succeed, Mayer kept going.

In 1964, Mayer moved to New York City to study more art. He attended the Art Students League of New York. There, he met Marianna, who later became his first wife. He also met an art director who told him his drawings were not good enough.

Mayer was a bit upset, but he took the advice. While working at an advertising agency, he created a brand new collection of artwork. These new drawings impressed editors at Dial Press and Harper & Row. They gave him his first illustration jobs.

Creating Beloved Stories

Mercer Mayer published his first book, A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog, in 1967. This book was special because it had no words at all. The entire story was told only through pictures. Mayer was one of the first artists to become famous for using this type of book. Five more books followed in this series. He also created If I Had a Gorilla, which was about having an ape as a pet.

His book There's a Nightmare in My Closet came from Mayer's own childhood fears. He used to imagine monsters in his room at night. This book became very popular with children and their parents. It has been printed many times since it first came out in 1968. The book was even featured on the TV show Reading Rainbow.

An animated special was also made based on There's a Nightmare in My Closet. It followed the book's story closely. The voice of the boy in the special was done by actor Michael J. Fox. The monster from the book also appeared in a music video for the song "Welcome to my Nightmare" by Alice Cooper.

In 1976, Mayer started working with Golden Publishing. This company creates the well-known Little Golden Books. Through them, he released his "Little Critter" and "Little Monster" series. These books are very popular with kids who are just learning to read.

Collaborations and Family Life

Besides writing and illustrating his own books, Mayer has 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.

Mercer Mayer has been married three times and has five children. He currently lives in Roxbury, Connecticut. His third wife, Gina, worked with him on many of his books starting in the early 1990s. Gina passed away in 2017.