Marla Frazee (born January 16, 1958) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and illustrator of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

. She has won two

Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

s for picture book illustration.

Early life and college

Frazee was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

and moved to Glendale, California, during her childhood. She is of Lebanese descent. Frazee found her early inspiration in children's books such as Maurice Sendak's ''

Where the Wild Things Are ''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a 1963 children's picture book written and illustrated by American writer and illustrator Maurice Sendak, originally published in hardcover by Harper & Row. The book has been adapted into other media several tim ...

'' and

Robert McCloskey John Robert McCloskey (September 15, 1914 – June 30, 2003) was an American writer and illustrator of children's books. He both wrote and illustrated eight picture books, and won two Caldecott Medals from the American Library Association for t ...

's ''

Blueberries for Sal ''Blueberries for Sal'' is a classic children's picture book written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey in 1948. The story is set in Maine, following the adventures of a young girl named Sal and a bear cub named Little Bear as they both go blueb ...

''. She illustrated her first book in third grade, which was called ''The Friendship Circle''. After it won an award in a state fair competition, Frazee created a duplicate for her school library. It was Frazee's first book. She attended college in the

Greater Los Angeles Area Greater Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan region in the United States with a population of 18.5 million in 2021, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino Coun ...

, where she earned her bachelor of fine arts at

Art Center College of Design Art Center College of Design (stylized as ArtCenter College of Design) is a private art college in Pasadena, California. History ArtCenter College of Design was founded in 1930 in downtown Los Angeles as the Art Center School. In 1935, Fred ...

and graduated in 1981. While attending school, Frazee met photographer Tim Bradley. The two married in 1982 and raised three sons: Graham, Reed and James. The marriage ended in divorce in 2013.

Career

After college (1981–1990)

After graduating from college, Frazee worked for various companies in advertising, educational publishing, toys, games, and magazines. She did toy design with companies like

Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...

Milton Bradley Milton Bradley (November 8, 1836 – May 30, 1911) was an American business magnate, game pioneer and publisher, credited by many with launching the board game industry, with his eponymous enterprise, which was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and ...

, and

Parker Brothers Parker Brothers (known by Parker outside of North America) was an American toy and game manufacturer which in 1991 became a brand of Hasbro. More than 1,800 games were published under the Parker Brothers name since 1883. Among its products wer ...

. Frazee made

Happy Meal A Happy Meal is a kids' meal usually sold at the American fast food restaurant chain McDonald's since June 1979. A small toy or book is included with the food, both of which are usually contained in a red cardboard box with a yellow smiley fac ...

boxes for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American multinational fast food chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechristened their business as a hambur ...

and team characters for the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

''World-Famous Muriel and the Magic Mystery'' and ''That Kookoory!'' (1990–1995)

In 1990 Frazee illustrated her first published book, ''World-Famous Muriel and the Magic Mystery'', written by Sue Alexander. After ''Muriel'', Frazee illustrated ''That Kookoory!,'' written by Margaret Walden Froehlich. She received positive reviews of her work in the

Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

, a journal for children's literature and young-adult literature.

''The Seven Silly Eaters'' (1997)

The release of ''The Seven Silly Eaters'', written by Mary Ann Hoberman, marked a turning point in Frazee's career. The book revolves around a family with seven children, each of whom are extremely picky eaters. A review from the Horn Book called it, "A pleasure for parent and child." More positive reviews followed.

''On the Morn of Mayfest'' – ''Mrs. Biddlebox'' (1998–2002)

Following the release of ''The Seven Silly Eaters'', Frazee illustrated many books which increased her popularity. In 1998, Frazee illustrated ''On the Morn of Mayfest'' written by Erica Silverman. After the publication of ''On the Morn of Mayfest'', Frazee's next book was ''Hush, Little Baby.'' Frazee illustrated the classic folk song in 1999. In 2000, Frazee illustrated a book written by

Mem Fox Merrion Frances "Mem" Fox, AM (born Merrion Frances Partridge; 5 March 1946) is an Australian writer of children's books and an educationalist specialising in literacy. Fox has been semi-retired since 1996, but she still gives seminars and ...

. ''

Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild! ''Harriet, You'll Drive Me Wild!'' is a 2000 children's picture book by Mem Fox and Marla Frazee. It is about a young girl, Harriet, who tries her mother's patience. Reception A reviewer in the New York Times wrote "as always, Fox writes with a ...

'', deals with Harriet, a little girl who doesn't mean to be pesky but can't help but get in the way of her mother. They both do things they wish they hadn't, but their love for each other remains strong. Then in 2001, Frazee illustrated ''Everywhere Babies'', a book written by Susan Meyers. The book tells babies all the ways their families love them, and the diverse community Frazee created is united by the love for their children. After ''Everywhere Babies'', Frazee illustrated Linda Smith's text, ''Mrs. Biddlebox'' in 2002. Mrs. Biddlebox uses all the ingredients to her bad day (fog, dirt, and sky) to bake a delicious cake.

''Roller Coaster'' (2003)

Frazee wrote her first book, ''Roller Coaster'' in 2003. The idea for the book was conceived during a family trip, during which Frazee's sons talked continuously about

roller coasters A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

. ''Roller Coaster'' became the first book both written and illustrated by Frazee. It follows a typical roller coaster ride and its passengers; a young girl apprehensive about the ride becomes the main character.

''Clementine'' – ''All the World'' (2006–2009)

In 2006, Frazee illustrated ''Clementine'', a series of chapter books written by

Sara Pennypacker Sara Pennypacker (born 1951) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling American author of children's literature. She has written more than twenty children's books, including ''Pax'', ''Pax Journey Home'', ''Here in the Real World'', ''Summer of the Gypsy ...

Frazee uses

pen and ink A pen is a common writing tool, writing instrument that applies ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Early pens such as reed pens, quill pens, dip pens and ruling pens held a small amount of ink on a Nib (pen), nib or in a sm ...

drawings to make the story of an overly-active and imaginative third-grader come to life. More recently, Frazee wrote and illustrated ''A Couple of Boys have the Best Week Ever''. Loosely based upon the adventures of her son and his friend at a nature camp, Frazee captures the essence of summer vacation and what it means to children. Frazee earned her first Caldecott Honor for her illustrations in the book, although she wrote it as well. Following the publication of ''A Couple of Boys have the Best Week Ever'', Frazee illustrated ''All the World'', a book written by

Elizabeth Garton Scanlon Elizabeth "Liz" Garton Scanlon is an American writer of children's books, primarily picture books in collaboration with other illustrators. Career Elizabeth Garton grew up in Vail, Colorado and later moved to Wisconsin. Her undergraduate degre ...

. The book follows a family and their friends through the course of a day and ends with a festive gathering at night. For her beautiful illustrations and double page spreads, Frazee picked up another Caldecott Honor.

''The Boss Baby'' (2007)

In Fall 2007, ''The Boss Baby,'' both written and illustrated by Frazee, was published. Frazee describes a young couple's newest arrival. The baby quickly takes over their lives with his nightly "meetings" and demands. ''The Boss Baby'' was met with positive reviews, with the Horn Book Magazine calling it "this year's baby-shower hit." In all, ''The Boss Baby'' garnered more than three starred reviews. DreamWorks Animation released an

animated feature film These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...

loosely based on the book in March 2017, with a sequel released in July 2021. DreamWorks also released a Netflix show based on the book titled '' The Boss Baby: Back in Business''.

Awards

s for '' A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever'' and ''All the World'' *

Charlotte Zolotow Award The Charlotte Zolotow Award is an American literary award presented annually for outstanding writing in a picture book published in the United States during the preceding year. By contrast, the Caldecott Medal is for outstanding illustration in ...

in 2019 for ''Little Bear'' * School Library Journal's Best Book of 2001 * Horn Book Fanfare * Parenting Magazine Reading Magic Award * Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrator's

Golden Kite Award The Golden Kite Awards are given annually by the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, an international children's writing organization, to recognize excellence in children’s literature. The award is a golden medallion showing ...

* Children's Literature Council of Southern California's Excellence in Illustration Award

Works

As illustrator

* ''World Famous Muriel and the Magic Mystery'' * ''That Kookoory!'' * ''The Seven Silly Eaters'' * ''On the Morn of Mayfest'' * ''

'' * ''Everywhere Babies'' * ''Mrs. Biddlebox'' * ''New Baby Train'' * Clementine Series ** ''Clementine'' ** ''The Talented Clementine'' ** ''Clementine's Letter'' * ''All the World'' * ''Stars'' * ''Hush Little Baby: A Folk Song with Pictures'' * ''The People in Pineapple Place – cover'' Aurora county all stars Boss baby

As writer and illustrator

* ''Roller Coaster'' * ''Santa Claus, The World's Number One Toy Expert'' * ''Walk On, A Guide for Babies of All Ages'' * ''A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever'' * ''The Boss Baby (book)'' * ''The Bossier Baby'' * ''The Farmer and the Clown'' * ''Boot and Shoe''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frazee, Marla 1958 births American children's book illustrators American children's writers American women illustrators Living people Writers from Los Angeles American women children's writers Artists from Los Angeles People from Glendale, California Art Center College of Design alumni 20th-century American writers 20th-century American artists 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American women artists 21st-century American writers 21st-century American artists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American women artists American people of Lebanese descent