Keller, Laurie 1961(?)-

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Keller, Laurie 1961(?)-

Personal

Born c. 1961; daughter of Marilyn Quail (a teacher); married Max Keller (divorced). Education: Attended Muskegon Community College; Kendall College of Art and Design, B.F.A., 1989. Hobbies and other interests: Playing the banjo.

Addresses

Home—North Muskegon, MI.

Career

Children's author and illustrator. Hallmark Cards, Kansas City, MO, illustrator for over seven years.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED

The Scrambled States of America, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1998.

Open Wide: Tooth School Inside, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2000.

Arnie the Doughnut, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2003.

Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2005.

Do unto Otters: A Book about Manners, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2007.

The Scrambled States of America Talent Show, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2008.

Contributor to Knock, Knock!, Dial (New York, NY), 2007.

ILLUSTRATOR

Janet Tashjian, Marty Frye, Private Eye, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 1998.

Elaine Pascoe, Fooled You! Fakes and Hoaxes through the Years, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2005.

Sidelights

Children's author and illustrator Laurie Keller made a bold entrance into the publishing world with 1998's The Scrambled States of America, a picture book that teaches U.S. geography in a humorous way. While working as a greeting-card artist at Hallmark, Keller became interested in children's picture books and began thinking of ideas for a work of her own. "One night, just when I was starting to fall asleep, some little states with arms and legs and faces popped into my head," she explained to Grand Rapids Press reporter Terri Finch Hamilton. Over several weeks, Keller turned the idea into a book about states swapping places. After showing her book-in-progress to several publishers in New York City, the author/illustrator received word from Henry Holt that they would purchase her first effort, beginning the start of a productive relationship.

Bored with their place in the middle of the country, Nebraska and Kansas decide to throw a party in The Scrambled States of America, inviting all of the other states. Excited, each member of the union packs a few notable items, such as Wisconsin's choice of cheese, and heads out for a cross-country adventure, and even romance in the case of Nevada and Mississippi. Eventually, the states decide to switch spots on the map, though they soon begin to long for home, as a sea-sick Kansas, stuck in Hawaii's Pacific Ocean spot. "The idea is original and the writing clever," wrote Booklist reviewer Carolyn Phelan, the critic calling The Scrambled States of America "a lighthearted, yet informative introduction to [the] 50 states." A Kirkus Reviews critic similarly commended Keller's "auspicious debut," predicting that "readers will unwittingly learn more than they bargained for about the … United States." The states make a return appearance, showcasing their special skills, in The Scrambled States of America Talent Show.

In her next self-illustrated effort, Open Wide: Tooth School Inside, Keller conveys to young readers good oral hygiene habits by introducing a pretend classroom full of toothy students. Led by their instructor, Dr. Flossman, the thirty-two students, one for each tooth in an adult mouth, learn the importance of brushing, flossing, and seeing a dentist regularly lest they suffer from decay. "The chaos of the book's full-page spreads perfectly captures the manic energy of a school day," claimed Booklist critic Gillian Engberg, while Elizabeth Maggio wrote in a School Library Journal review that "most youngsters will get a good laugh from a day in ‘Tooth School.’"

A trip to a local doughnut shop provided Keller the inspiration for Arnie the Doughnut, a picture book that finds a young, freshly baked doughnut horrified to dis-

cover that its primary purpose in life is to satisfy a customer's sweet tooth. Readers follow along as Arnie grows from a blob of yeasty dough to a perfect circle, glazed with chocolate and sprinkles. Upon learning his fate outside the bake shop, Arnie decides to save himself by using his wits and becoming too important to eat. New York Times reviewer Lawrence Downes applauded the author/illustrator's unusual creation, proclaiming that "Keller's ideas froth and bubble well beyond the brim of her simple plot." Like many other critics, Downes thought much of the book's attraction lies in the secondary story created by Keller's detailed illustrations, adding complexity to a simple theme. "Much of the joy of Arnie the Doughnut," wrote the critic, "lies in unpacking … visual and verbal delights…. It's seldom that you find such depth in a doughnut." Writing in Publishers Weekly, a contributor commented favorably on the deep-fried main character, remarking that "Arnie takes destiny into his own hands, with vastly entertaining results."

Being polite is the focus of Keller's self-illustrated Do unto Otters: A Book about Manners. When a family of otters moves in next door, Mr. Rabbit fears meeting them, as he knows little about otters. A wise owl, however, reminds the nervous bunny about the golden rule to treat others how he would like to be treated. As Mr. Rabbit reflects on the owl's suggestion, Keller explains common mannerly behaviors, such as being friendly, saying please and thank you, and making eye contact, through her trademark full-color illustrations. Her "explanation and elaboration nicely unifies what might otherwise seem like a dreary list of manners," wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor, while a Publishers Weekly reviewer claimed that "Keller serves up sound, friendly advice for maintaining a peaceable kingdom."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 1999, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Scrambled States of America, p. 888; May 1, 2000, Gillian Engberg, review of Open Wide: Tooth School Inside, p. 1674; May 1, 2003, Gillian Engberg, review of Arnie the Doughnut, p. 1605; September 15, 2005, Carolyn Phelan, review of Fooled You! Fakes and Hoaxes through the Years, p. 61; November 15, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard, p. 51; October 15, 2007, Gillian Engberg, review of Do unto Otters: A Book about Manners, p. 54; August 1, 2008, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Scrambled States of America Talent Show, p. 83.

Horn Book, May, 2000, review of Open Wide, p. 334.

Grand Rapids Press, November 16, 2008, Terri Finch Hamilton, interview with Keller.

Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2003, review of Arnie the Doughnut, p. 470; July 1, 2005, review of Fooled You!, p. 741; October, 2005, review of Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard, p. 1081; August 15, 2007, review of Do unto Otters; July 1, 2008, review of The Scrambled States of America Talent Show.

New York Times, May 18, 2003, Lawrence Downes, "Doughnut, Go Gentle into That Good Night."

Publishers Weekly, July 27, 1998, review of The Scrambled States of America, p. 77; May 22, 2002, review of Open Wide, p. 93; February 17, 2003, review of Arnie the Doughnut, p. 73; July 18, 2005, review of Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard, p. 204; July 23, 2007, review of Do unto Otters, p. 68; June 2, 2008, review of The Scrambled States of America Talent Show, p. 46.

School Library Journal, May, 2000, Elizabeth Maggio, review of Open Wide, p. 162; May, 2003, Rita Soltan, review of Arnie the Doughnut, p. 122; November, 2005, Roxanne Burg, review of Grandpa Gazillion's Number Yard, p. 94, and Ann G. Brouse, review of Fooled You!, p. 168; September, 2007, review of Do unto Otters, p. 167; August, 2008, Ellen Heath, review of The Scrambled States of America Talent Show, p. 94.