Laurie Keller author page

Laurie Keller biography

Laurie Keller is an author and illustrator of children’s books. She grew up in Michigan, where she loved drawing, painting and writing stories. She earned a B.F.A. at Kendall College of Art and Design and then worked for seven years as a greeting-card illustrator at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City.

Keller’s first book was The Scrambled States of America, a picture book about the fifty American states swapping places. It was published by Henry Holt on 1 October 1998 and won honours including the Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award, the Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award and a Parents’ Choice Award.

Her books include Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners, Potato Pants!, Arnie, the Doughnut and the Arnie the Doughnut chapter-book series. Arnie, the Doughnut was published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) on 1 April 2003 and was named a 2004 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year.

Do Unto Otters: A Book About Manners is a picture book about friendship, manners and the Golden Rule. It was published by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), received honours including the California Young Reader Medal Master List and the Indiana Young Hoosier Award Master List, and was named a 2008 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year.

Keller created We Are Growing! for the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading! series with Mo Willems. The book was published by Hyperion in 2016 and won the Geisel Award.