Laura Vaccaro Seeger is an American author and artist of children's books.
Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a New York Times best-selling author and illustrator and the recipient of a 2008 Caldecott Honor, a 2008 Geisel Honor, a 2007 New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and the 2007 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award 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, 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.