Laura Numeroff Author Study

Laura Numeroff was born in Brooklyn, New York on July 14, 1953. Her mother worked as a teacher and her father was an artist for a newspaper. During her early childhood, she loved to read and write her own stories. As a teenager, she attended the Pratt Institute to be a fashion designer. She didn’t like it, so she started taking classes in animation. Then she took a class in writing and illustrating before she graduated.

Awards/special recognitions

• Numeroff’s books in the ‘Pig’ series won the prestigious Quill Award in the picture book category.
• If You Give a Pig a Pancake was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show three times.

Mentioned in the first slide, Numeroff loved reading and writing books at an early age. However, she wouldn't go to school for writing and illustrating until the tail end of her time at the Pratt Institute when she took a class on writing and illustrating children's literature.

Facts about Laura Numeroff 1

• Numeroff was one of ten children’s authors invited to a literacy day in Washington during the Bush administration in 2001.
• Numeroff donates to many different non-profits. A couple being Canine Companions for Independence, First Book, and the Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Facts about Laura Numeroff 2

• President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, and Secretary Hillary Clinton have all read Numeroff’s books to children.
• First Lady Michelle Obama, with her mother and two daughters, read 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie' at the 2010 Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Pig a Pancake

What Mommies Do Best

What Daddies Do Best

If you take a mouse to school

I would use Numeroff's story to inspire kids to do what they love, even if what they love changes. Laura Numeroff went to school to be a fashion designer. It took to the end of her time at Pratt Institute to find her love for writing children's books.

References

• https://lauranumeroff.com/about/
• https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Laura-Numeroff/628346
• https://www.readingrockets.org/people-and-organizations/laura-numeroff
• https://lauranumeroff.com/books/