Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Encyclopedia
Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, a 2008 Geisel
Geisel
Geisel is a surname, and may refer to:* Theodor Seuss Geisel , otherwise known as Dr. Seuss, a popular children's author.* Ernesto Geisel , a Brazilian military general and politician....
Honor, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
The Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
for Best Picture Book.
Laura was born on June 11th and raised on Long Island, New York. She grew up in a house full of laughter with her parents, Vera and Phil, her brothers, Billy and Tommy, her sister, Linda, and both grandmothers. She began drawing at two years old and never stopped.
Laura studied art at the School of Fine Art and Design at SUNY Purchase in Westchester, New York, where she received her BFA degree. After graduating from art school, she moved to Manhattan and began a career as an animator, artist, and editor in the network television business. She created show openings and special segments for NBC and ABC for many years and she won an Emmy Award for an opening animation for an NBC special.
Laura has been an artist and a writer for as long as she can remember and has always wanted to make picture books for children. In fact, she recently came across an essay that she'd written while in the fifth grade, when she stated with absolute certainty that she was born to make picture books. By that time, Laura had written and illustrated her own little library. Over the years, she continued to make books of all shapes and sizes and several years ago, she decided it was time to try to get some of her books published. She was fortunate to have met her editor, Neal Porter
Neal Porter
Neal Porter is an American children's book editor.He is the founder of Neal Porter books, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, which is itself a division of the Macmillan publishing group.After a brief stint in the college textbook department of St...
, almost immediately. They are now starting work on their twelfth book together and have plans for many more.
Laura now lives in Rockville Centre, Long Island, with her husband, Chris Arley Seeger, their two sons, Drew Alexander Seeger and Dylan Matthew Seeger, and their dog, Copper, the star of Laura's "Dog and Bear" series. She loves painting, surfing, tennis, playing the piano, and spending time with her family and she takes long walks at the beach every day and paints in her studio every night.
Books
- What if?, 2010
- Dog and Bear - Three to Get Ready, 2009
- One Boy, 2008
- Dog and Bear - Two's Company, 2008
- First the Egg, 2007
- Dog and Bear - Two Friends, Three Stories, 2007
- Black? White! Day? Night!, 2006
- Walter was Worried, 2005
- Lemons Are Not Red, 2004
- The Hidden Alphabet, 2003
- I Had a Rooster, 2001
Awards
One Boy- Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book, 2009
- ALA Notable Book, 2009http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/childrensnotable/notablechibooks/index.cfm
- NCTE Notable Children's Book in Language Arts, 2009
- Booklist Editor's Choice, 2008
- Publishers Weekly Best Book, 2008
- New York Public Library Best Book, 2008
First the Egg
- Caldecott Honor Book, 2008
- Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book, 2008
- New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2007
- New York Times Best Seller
- Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of 2007
- Oppenheim Platinum Award, 2008
- ALA Notable Book, 2008
Dog and Bear - Two Friends, Three Stories
- Boston Globe-Horn Book AwardBoston Globe-Horn Book AwardThe Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards were first presented by The Boston Globe and Horn Book Magazine in 1967. They are among the most prestigious honors in the United States in the field of children’s and young adult literature...
Winner for Best Picture Book, 2007 - Kirkus Best Book, 2007
- Publishers Weekly Best Book, 2007
- New York Public Library Best Book, 2007
- ALA Notable Book, 2008
Black? White! Day? Night!
- ALA Notable Book, 2007
- Child Magazine Best Book, 2006
- Nick Jr./Family Magazine Best Book, 2006
- Booklist Editor's Choice, 2007
- Kirkus Best Book, 2006
Walter was Worried
- ALA Notable Book, 2006
- Child Magazine Best Book, 2005
- IRA Children's Choice Best Book, 2006
Lemons Are Not Red
- ALA Notable Book, 2005
- Child Magazine Best Book, 2004
- New York Public Library Best Book, 2004
The Hidden Alphabet
- ALA Notable Book, 2004
- Child Magazine Best Book of 2003
- New York Public Library Best Book, 2003
- NBC Today Show Best Book for Gift Giving, 2003
Other relatives
- Husband Chris Arley Seeger
- Son Drew Alexander Seeger
- Son Dylan Matthew Seeger
- Cousin Brenda VaccaroBrenda VaccaroBrenda Buell Vaccaro is an American stage, television and film actress.-Early life:Vaccaro was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Italian American parents Christine M. and Mario A. Vaccaro , both of whom were pioneers in Italian cuisine...
- Father-in-law Mike SeegerMike SeegerMike Seeger was an American folk musician and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp, banjo, fiddle, dulcimer, guitar, mouth harp, mandolin, dobro, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger, produced more than 30 documentary...
- Stepfather-in-law David MarashDave MarashDavid Marash, known as Dave Marash is an American television journalist.Marash garnered considerable attention when he joined Al Jazeera English in January 2006 as the network's Washington, D.C. anchor, thus becoming the de facto American face of the new English language station. Two years later,...
- Aunt-in-law Peggy SeegerPeggy SeegerMargaret "Peggy" Seeger is an American folksinger. She is also well known in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years with her husband, singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl.- The first American period :...
- Uncle-in-law Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
- Grandfather-in-law Charles SeegerCharles SeegerCharles Seeger, Jr. was a noted musicologist, composer, and teacher. He was the father of iconic American folk singer Pete Seeger .-Life:...
- Grandmother-in-law Ruth Crawford SeegerRuth Crawford SeegerRuth Crawford Seeger , born Ruth Porter Crawford, was a modernist composer and an American folk music specialist.-Life:...