About Mercer Mayer
Mayer was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. His father was in the United States Navy, so the family moved many times during his childhood before settling in Honolulu, Hawaii. There, Mayer graduated from high school in 1961. While attending school at the Honolulu Museum of Art, Mayer decided to enter the field of children's book illustration. To that end, he created a portfolio of sketches and peddled them wherever he could. Though his professors feared the young artist would never be good enough to make a living as an illustrator, Mayer was not dissuaded.
Mayer moved from Hawaii to New York City in 1964, pursuing further instruction at the Art Students League of New York, where he met an artist named Marianna who became his first wife. He also met an art director who told Mayer that his portfolio was so bad that he needed to throw it away. Though offended, Mayer did. During his spare time from his job at an advertising agency, the artist created a completely new portfolio. These new sketches persuaded editors at Dial Press and Harper & Row to give him some illustration work.
Mayer published his first book, A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog, at Dial Press in 1967. It was notable for being a completely wordless picture bookone that tells its story entirely through the use of pictures. Mayer was one of the first illustrators to be credited for using this format. Five more books in this series were to follow.
The book There's a Nightmare in My Closet drew on Mayer's childhood fears of monsters in his room at night. Critics compared the book, unfavorably, to Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, but children and their parents loved the story and it became very popular.
Mayer joined Golden Publishing, creators of Little Golden Books, in 1976. Through them he has sold his "Little Critter" and "Little Monster" series, which are popular with beginning readers.
In 1978, Mayer divorced Marianna. The following year, he married his second wife, Jo. The couple had three children, Len, Arden and a daughter named Jessie. Mayer and his third wife Gina, with whom he had two more sons (Ben and Zebulon) currently live in Roxbury, Connecticut. Gina has been collaborating with him on many of his books since the early 1990s.
Series
Little Monster
One Monster After Another (1974)
Little Monster at Home (1978)
Little Monster at School (1978)
Little Monster's Bedtime Book (1978)
Little Monsters Neighborhood (1978)
Little Monster's You-Can-Make-It Book (1978)
Little Monster's alphabet book (1979)
Little Monster's Mother Goose (1979)
Little Monster's Word Book (1980)
Little Monster's Scratch and Sniff Mystery (1980)
Little Monster Fun (2011)
Mercer Mayer's Little Monster Fun and Learn Book (2011)
Little Monster Home, School, and Work Book (2012)
Little Monster Word Book with Mother Goose (2012)
One Monster After Another (1974)
Little Monster at Home (1978)
Little Monster at School (1978)
Little Monster's Bedtime Book (1978)
Little Monsters Neighborhood (1978)
Little Monster's You-Can-Make-It Book (1978)
Little Monster's alphabet book (1979)
Little Monster's Mother Goose (1979)
Little Monster's Word Book (1980)
Little Monster's Scratch and Sniff Mystery (1980)
Little Monster Fun (2011)
Mercer Mayer's Little Monster Fun and Learn Book (2011)
Little Monster Home, School, and Work Book (2012)
Little Monster Word Book with Mother Goose (2012)
Little Critter
Astronaut Critter (1986)
Just Me and My Little Sister (1986)
Doctor Critter (1987)
Just a Mess (1987)
Mail Critter (1987)
Little Sister's Birthday (1988)
Staying Overnight (1988)
This Is My House (1988)
Just a Daydream (1989)
Just Shopping With Mom (1989)
Christmas Book (1989)
This Is My School (1990)
Just Going to the Dentist (1990)
Little Critter Colors (1992)
Little Critter shapes (1992)
Super Critter to the Rescue (1994)
Just a Pirate (1996)
I Just Forgot (1999)
I Was So Mad (2000)
Just Me and My Dad (2001)
Snow Day (2001)
The New Baby (2001)
Just So Thankful (2006)
It's Earth Day! (2008)
A Day at Camp (2008)
Just a Day at the Pond (2008)
Happy Mother's Day! (2009)
My Earth Day Surprise (2009)
Adventures of Little Critter (2010)
Just Big Enough (2010)
The Night Before Christmas (2010)
Where Is My Frog? (2010)
Sleeps Over (2011)
Just a Little Luck (2011)
A Green, Green Garden (2011)
Just Helping My Dad (2011)
Little Critter ABCs (2011)
The Best Show and Share (2011)
A Busy Day (2011)
Little Critter Numbers (2011)
Little Critter's Bedtime Storybook (2012)
Good for Me and You (2012)
Little Critter Collection (omnibus) (2012)
Just a Little Too Little (2012)
What a Good Kitty (2012)
Going to the Firehouse (2012)
Just a School Project (2012)
Bye-Bye, Mom and Dad (2012)
Just a Storybook Collection (omnibus) (2012)
My Trip to the Hospital (2012)
Just a Snowman (2012)
To the Rescue! (2012)
Snowball Soup (2012)
We Are Moving (2012)
The Lost Dinosaur Bone (2012)
Bedtime Stories (2013)
Just a Big Storm (2013)
Just One More Pet (2013)
Astronaut Critter (1986)
Just Me and My Little Sister (1986)
Doctor Critter (1987)
Just a Mess (1987)
Mail Critter (1987)
Little Sister's Birthday (1988)
Staying Overnight (1988)
This Is My House (1988)
Just a Daydream (1989)
Just Shopping With Mom (1989)
Christmas Book (1989)
This Is My School (1990)
Just Going to the Dentist (1990)
Little Critter Colors (1992)
Little Critter shapes (1992)
Super Critter to the Rescue (1994)
Just a Pirate (1996)
I Just Forgot (1999)
I Was So Mad (2000)
Just Me and My Dad (2001)
Snow Day (2001)
The New Baby (2001)
Just So Thankful (2006)
It's Earth Day! (2008)
A Day at Camp (2008)
Just a Day at the Pond (2008)
Happy Mother's Day! (2009)
My Earth Day Surprise (2009)
Adventures of Little Critter (2010)
Just Big Enough (2010)
The Night Before Christmas (2010)
Where Is My Frog? (2010)
Sleeps Over (2011)
Just a Little Luck (2011)
A Green, Green Garden (2011)
Just Helping My Dad (2011)
Little Critter ABCs (2011)
The Best Show and Share (2011)
A Busy Day (2011)
Little Critter Numbers (2011)
Little Critter's Bedtime Storybook (2012)
Good for Me and You (2012)
Little Critter Collection (omnibus) (2012)
Just a Little Too Little (2012)
What a Good Kitty (2012)
Going to the Firehouse (2012)
Just a School Project (2012)
Bye-Bye, Mom and Dad (2012)
Just a Storybook Collection (omnibus) (2012)
My Trip to the Hospital (2012)
Just a Snowman (2012)
To the Rescue! (2012)
Snowball Soup (2012)
We Are Moving (2012)
The Lost Dinosaur Bone (2012)
Bedtime Stories (2013)
Just a Big Storm (2013)
Just One More Pet (2013)
Critters of the Night
5. Night of the Walking Dead Part 1 (1997) (with Erica Farber)
Kiss of the Mermaid (1996) (with Erica Farber)
Mummy Pancakes (1997) (with Erica Farber)
Night of the Walking Dead Part 2 (1997)
5. Night of the Walking Dead Part 1 (1997) (with Erica Farber)
Kiss of the Mermaid (1996) (with Erica Farber)
Mummy Pancakes (1997) (with Erica Farber)
Night of the Walking Dead Part 2 (1997)
Big Little Critter
Fair Play (2012)
Helping Out (2012)
My Family (2013)
On The Go (2013)
Staying Well (2013)
Fair Play (2012)
Helping Out (2012)
My Family (2013)
On The Go (2013)
Staying Well (2013)
Picture Books
Whinnie the Lovesick Dragon (1986)
There's an Alligator Under My Bed (1987)
There's a Nightmare in My Cupboard (1988)
To Catch a Little Fish (1996)
Zoom on My Broom (1998) (with Erica Farber)
Happy Father's Day (2007)
The Bravest Knight (2007)
The Fall Festival (2009)
First Day of School (2009)
Going to the Sea Park (2009)
Just a Little Music (2009)
Just a Little Sick (2009)
What Do You Do with a Kangaroo? (2010)
Jack and the Beanstalk (2010)
Little Red Riding Hood (2010)
Just Saving My Money (2010)
The Best Yard Sale (2010)
Just Critters Who Care (2010)
Hansel and Gretel (2010)
Where's Kitty? (2010)
Where's My Sneaker? (2010)
Octopus Soup (2011)
Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo (2011)
Too Many Dinosaurs (2011)
It's True (2013)
You Go First (2013)
There's an Alligator Under My Bed (1987)
There's a Nightmare in My Cupboard (1988)
To Catch a Little Fish (1996)
Zoom on My Broom (1998) (with Erica Farber)
Happy Father's Day (2007)
The Bravest Knight (2007)
The Fall Festival (2009)
First Day of School (2009)
Going to the Sea Park (2009)
Just a Little Music (2009)
Just a Little Sick (2009)
What Do You Do with a Kangaroo? (2010)
Jack and the Beanstalk (2010)
Little Red Riding Hood (2010)
Just Saving My Money (2010)
The Best Yard Sale (2010)
Just Critters Who Care (2010)
Hansel and Gretel (2010)
Where's Kitty? (2010)
Where's My Sneaker? (2010)
Octopus Soup (2011)
Professor Wormbog in Search for the Zipperump-a-Zoo (2011)
Too Many Dinosaurs (2011)
It's True (2013)
You Go First (2013)
Chapter Books
Non fiction
A Zombie's Guide To The Human Body (2010) (with Tom Becker)
Scholastic 2011 Almanac for Kids (2010) (with Tom Becker)
Scholastic 2011 Almanac for Kids (2010) (with Tom Becker)
Links to other websites
| mercermayer.com |
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