Laura Numeroff
Encyclopedia
Laura Joffe Numeroff is an American
author and illustrator of children's books who is best known for her work If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
.
, New York
, and is the youngest of three girls. As a child, Numeroff was an avid reader and by the age of 9 had decided she wanted to be a writer when she became an adult. She credits her current profession to two specific childhood favorites and has claimed that they “are the reason” she is a writer: E. B. White
’s Stuart Little
and Kay Thompson
’s Eloise
.
When it came time for Numeroff to apply for college, she decided not to become a writer. Instead, she followed her sister's footsteps and majored in fashion. Eventually though, Numeroff decided that fashion "wasn't for me". She went back to her childhood dream of becoming a writer and began taking a class on writing. A homework assignment for one of these classes prompted Numeroff to write the story Amy for Short. In 1976, the story was published by Macmillan Publishing and launched Laura Joffe Numeroff's writing career.
Her autobiography, If You Give an Author a Pencil, was published in 2003; it is written at a second grade reading level so that it is also accessible to children. Numeroff’s books have been published in many languages. Numeroff resides in Los Angeles, California.
This children’s book is a two part story. On one side of the book is What Mommies Do Best. This book demonstrates many of the great things that mommies do like: give piggyback rides, teach children how to ride a bicycle, and sew a button on a teddy bear.
Following What Mommies Do Best, the book can be flipped to reveal What Daddies Do Best. This side illustrates all the special things that daddy does with you. The stories are identical. Both mommy and daddy do the same things in each book. Subsequent books concern grandparents and aunts and uncles.
What Mommies Do Best/ What Daddies Do Best uses different animals in its brightly colored illustrations to show young children the things parents do that make them so special. Each illustration shows a different animal parent with their young child.
A portion of the profits from Laura Numeroff's Ten Step Guide to Living with Your Monster were donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Phoebe Dexter Has Harriet Peterson’s Sniffles, published in January 1977, tells the woeful tale of Phoebe Dexter who is stuck at home because she is sick. Upset that she is missing all the happenings of her school day, Phoebe busies herself pretending she is a dog and eventually playing Go Fish with her grandmother who comes over to keep her company. The book is both written and illustrated by Numeroff.
invited Numeroff to the White House to be honored for her "If You Give a..." Series at the “Laura Bush Celebrates American Authors” event. She has also won numerous awards for her individual stories including:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author and illustrator of children's books who is best known for her work If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
If You Give A Mouse A Cookie
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is the title of a 1985 book illustrated by Felicia Bond. It is the tenth and best-known book written by Laura Numeroff. Its plot deals with a boy who gives a cookie to a mouse. After eating a cookie, the mouse has some milk. Then he decides to clean his face...
.
Early life
Numeroff was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and is the youngest of three girls. As a child, Numeroff was an avid reader and by the age of 9 had decided she wanted to be a writer when she became an adult. She credits her current profession to two specific childhood favorites and has claimed that they “are the reason” she is a writer: E. B. White
E. B. White
Elwyn Brooks White , usually known as E. B. White, was an American writer. A long-time contributor to The New Yorker magazine, he also wrote many famous books for both adults and children, such as the popular Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, and co-authored a widely used writing guide, The...
’s Stuart Little
Stuart Little
Stuart Little is a 1945 children's novel by E. B. White, his first book for children, and is widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. Stuart Little was illustrated by the subsequently award-winning artist Garth Williams, also his first work for children...
and Kay Thompson
Kay Thompson
Kay Thompson was an American author, composer, musician, actress and singer. She is best known as the creator of the Eloise children's books.-Background:Catherine Louise Fink was born in St...
’s Eloise
Eloise (1955 book)
Eloise , subtitled "A book for precocious grown-ups", is the first of the Eloise series of children's books drawn and written by Kay Thompson and Hilary Knight.-Adaptation:...
.
When it came time for Numeroff to apply for college, she decided not to become a writer. Instead, she followed her sister's footsteps and majored in fashion. Eventually though, Numeroff decided that fashion "wasn't for me". She went back to her childhood dream of becoming a writer and began taking a class on writing. A homework assignment for one of these classes prompted Numeroff to write the story Amy for Short. In 1976, the story was published by Macmillan Publishing and launched Laura Joffe Numeroff's writing career.
Career
Numeroff has worked with numerous illustrators including Lynn Munsinger, David McPhail, Tim Bowers, Nate Evans, Joe Mathieu, Sal Murdocca, Sharleen Collicott, and Felicia Bond; Felicia Bond was the illustrator of the “If You Give . . .” series. When Numeroff began her career she served as her own illustrator; her first 9 books were both written and illustrated by Numeroff herself. Since her editor chose Felicia Bond to illustrate Numeroff's If You Give a Mouse a Cookie book, she has not illustrated another book. When asked about her earlier endeavors into illustrations during an interview, she mentioned that though she loves drawing, she decided her "strength was in writing and not in illustration” and said "I don’t think I would illustrate a whole book anymore at this point".Her autobiography, If You Give an Author a Pencil, was published in 2003; it is written at a second grade reading level so that it is also accessible to children. Numeroff’s books have been published in many languages. Numeroff resides in Los Angeles, California.
If You Give a...
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie was the book that launched Numeroff's hit "If You Give A..." series. It was rejected by publishers nine times before it was finally accepted by Harper. These stories use a circular story format, presenting to the reader a chain of events. At the end of the story, the reader discovers that the characters have ended up in the same event that they started with. The entire story is an "If ____________ , then ___________" scenario . If You Give a Mouse a Cookie spawned numerous more books that expanded from the mouse to include the characters of a moose, a cat, a pig, and a dog.What People Do Best
The first book in this series by Numeroff, published in April 2008, was What Mommies Do Best/ What Daddies Do Best. Illustrated, using watercolors, by Lynn Munsinger, it is written for children ages 4 – 8.This children’s book is a two part story. On one side of the book is What Mommies Do Best. This book demonstrates many of the great things that mommies do like: give piggyback rides, teach children how to ride a bicycle, and sew a button on a teddy bear.
Following What Mommies Do Best, the book can be flipped to reveal What Daddies Do Best. This side illustrates all the special things that daddy does with you. The stories are identical. Both mommy and daddy do the same things in each book. Subsequent books concern grandparents and aunts and uncles.
What Mommies Do Best/ What Daddies Do Best uses different animals in its brightly colored illustrations to show young children the things parents do that make them so special. Each illustration shows a different animal parent with their young child.
Other Works
Laura Numeroff's Ten Step Guide to Living with Your Monster, illustrated by Nate Evans, was published in April 2002 for children ages 4 – 8. This book gives kids a different idea about monsters. Instead of being afraid of them this story shows you how to make a monster a good pet. This guide outlines Numeroff’s ten basic steps to buying, naming, and dealing with your pet monster. There are things you should know like choosing a monster that can tie its shoes, how to take your monster to the vet, not to choose a monster who tries to eat your shirt, and that “Fluffy” is not a good name for a monster. With each step is a bright, colorful illustration to help you choose your own pet monster.A portion of the profits from Laura Numeroff's Ten Step Guide to Living with Your Monster were donated to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Phoebe Dexter Has Harriet Peterson’s Sniffles, published in January 1977, tells the woeful tale of Phoebe Dexter who is stuck at home because she is sick. Upset that she is missing all the happenings of her school day, Phoebe busies herself pretending she is a dog and eventually playing Go Fish with her grandmother who comes over to keep her company. The book is both written and illustrated by Numeroff.
Awards
Laura BushLaura Bush
Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...
invited Numeroff to the White House to be honored for her "If You Give a..." Series at the “Laura Bush Celebrates American Authors” event. She has also won numerous awards for her individual stories including:
- California Young Reader MedalCalifornia Young Reader MedalThe California Young Reader Medal is an award given annually to books nominated and voted on by children in California. The medal was established in 1974 and encourages recreational reading...
-1987 - Colorado Children’s Book Award-1988
- Georgia Children’s Picture Storybook Award-1988
- Nevada Young Readers’ Award-1988
- Buckeye Children’s Book Award-1989
- Quill Award (If You Give a Pig a Party)-2006
- The Milner Award-2007
The If You Give A series
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985)
- If You Give a Moose a Muffin (1995)
- If You Give a Pig a Pancake (1998)
- The Best Mouse Cookie (1999)
- If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (2000)
- If You Take a Mouse to School (2002)
- If You Give a Pig a Party (2005)
- Merry Christmas, Mouse! (2007)
- Time for School, Mouse! (2008)
- If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (2008)
- Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse! (2009)
- Happy Easter, Mouse! (2010)
- If You Give a Dog a Donut (2011)
The What People Do Best series
- What Mommies Do Best/What Daddies Do Best
- What Grandmas Do Best/What Grandpas Do Best
- What Aunts Do Best/What Uncles Do Best
Other books
- Beatrice Doesn't Want to
- Sometimes I Wonder If Poodles Like Noodles
- Monster Munchies
- The Chicken Sisters
- Laura Numeroff's Ten Step Guide to Living with Your Monster
- Dogs Don't Wear Sneakers
- Chimps Don't Wear Glasses
- Two For Stew
- Why a Disguise?
- When Sheep Sleep
- The Jellybeans and the Big Dance
- Emily’s Bunch (with Alice Richter)
- Walter
- Amy for Short (1976)
- Does Grandma Have an Elmo Elephant Jungle Kit
- You Can’t Put Braces on Spaces (with Alice Richter)
- Phoebe Dexter Has Harriet Peterson’s Sniffles
- If You Give an Author a Pencil
- Sherman Crunchley (with Nate Evans)
External links
- Laura Numeroff at Kidsreads.comKidsreads.comKidsReads.com is a website, designed for children aged 6-12, containing information about children's books and authors, and some related games. The website was founded in 1996 by Carol Fitsgerald. As of 2009, Kidsreads.com had a following of over 350,000 readers each month. Its mascot is a...
- Mouse Cookie Books Interactives