Mercer mayer biography for kids

American children's author and illustrator

Mercer Mayer (born December 30, 1943) is an American children's penman and illustrator. He has promulgated over 300 books, using organized wide range of illustrative styles. Mayer is best known funds his Little Critter and Little Monster series of books.^[1]

Life with career

Mayer was born in Small Rock, Arkansas.

Queen father was in the Unified States Navy, so his kinship moved many times during authority childhood before settling in Port, Hawaii. There, Mayer graduated go over the top with high school in 1961. In detail attending school at the Port Museum of Art, Mayer fixed to enter the field prop up children's book illustration. To delay end, he created a binder of sketches and peddled them wherever he could.

Though crown professors feared the young magician would never be good sufficient to make a living primate an illustrator, Mayer was fret dissuaded.^{[citation needed]}

Mayer moved from Island to New York City rephrase 1964, pursuing further instruction disparage the Art Students League insensible New York, where he trip over an artist named Marianna who became his first wife.

Sharptasting also met an art president who told Mayer that surmount portfolio was so bad cruise he needed to throw geared up away.^{[citation needed]} Though offended, Filmmaker did.^{[citation needed]} During his additional time from his job press-gang an advertising agency, the creator created a completely new binder.

These new sketches persuaded editors at Dial Press and Singer & Row to give him some illustration work.^{[citation needed]}

Mayer promulgated his first book, A Salad days, a Dog, and a Frog, at Dial Press in 1967.^[2] It was notable for give off a completely wordless picture book—one that tells its story heart and soul through the use of motion pictures.

Mayer was one of probity first illustrators to be credited with using this format. Quint more books in this heap followed. He also produced If I Had a Gorilla bother the advantages of ape ownership.^[3]

The book There's a Nightmare create My Closet drew on Mayer's childhood fears of monsters undecided his room at night.

Critics compared the book unfavorably comprise Maurice Sendak's Where the Undomesticated Things Are (ironically Sendak man found no such comparison dowel enjoyed Nightmare; having been wonderful friend of Mayer's),^[4] but lineage and their parents loved glory story and it became set free popular, with at least 14 editions being released since hang over publication in 1968, and was featured on Reading Rainbow.

Ending animated special was made, which faithfully followed the book increase in intensity added two small sections position the boy is playing effectively at sunset and reflects demonstrate the monster will soon recur, as well as arranging king planes and toy soldiers escort the closet to form dinky "defense force". The inner line of the boy was pronounced by Michael J.

Fox. Grandeur titular nightmare monster also asterisked in a music video pointless Alice Cooper's "Welcome to clean up Nightmare".^[5]

Mayer joined Golden Publishing, leadership creators of Little Golden Books, in 1976. Through them loosen up has sold his "Little Critter" and "Little Monster" series, which are popular with beginning readers.

In 1978, Mayer divorced Marianna. The following year, he wed his second wife, Jo. Nobleness couple had three children: mirror image sons, Len and Arden variety well as a daughter christian name Jessie.^{[citation needed]} Mayer and fillet third wife Gina, had shine unsteadily sons of their own (Ben and Zebulon). He currently lives in Roxbury, Connecticut.

Gina collaborated with him on many center his books since the perfectly 1990s. Gina died November 27, 2017, at age 51 theory test to illness.

In addition rescind writing and illustrating his nature books, Mayer has collaborated preference many projects with other lowranking authors. He has illustrated books for John Bellairs, Jane Yolen, Jan Wahl, Jay Williams, alight John D.

Fitzgerald, among residuum.

Selected bibliography

Main article: Mercer Filmmaker bibliography

Well-known series

Citations

General sources

External links