Laurel Molk is an illustrator and author of children's books.
Career
editMolk attended the Rhode Island School of Design. She lives in the Boston area.[1][2]
Molk has published several books as author and illustrator and more as the illustrator of books by other authors, including Jane Yolen and Alice B. McGinty.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Her illustrations for Yolen's Beneath the Ghost Moon (Little, Brown & Company, 1994) were praised in a Publishers Weekly review: "Molk's careful, cool-hued watercolors depict a well-appointed farm house and an endearing cast of gentle-eyed mice".[7]
Publishers Weekly wrote that the text of Good Job, Oliver (Knopf, 1999) "cheerily conveys several important messages, including the value of self-confidence and conviction".[4] Kirkus Reviews wrote positively of the book: "While Molk’s storytelling is entertaining, her watercolors steal the show. Her inventive use of the page makes the book practically boundless".[10]
Publishers Weekly said about When You Were Just a Heartbeat (Little, Brown, 2004): "Molk certainly sends a heartfelt message to young listeners," but "the book may be too esoteric and its illustrations too quiet to capture—and keep—children's attention".[3] About the same book, Kirkus Reviews said, "Placed on broad expanses of white, each portrait will draw the eyes even of very young viewers".[11]
A reviewer for School Library Journal called Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Flo! (Viking, 2015) "the perfect combination of text and illustration creates a fun choice for storytime or one-on-one reading".[12] Kirkus Reviews called it "brisk and bouncy," and noted, "using a different, handwritten-style type for the dialogue keeps things clear, though read-alouds could still be a bit tricky".[6]
There Might Be Lobsters (Candlewick, 2017) received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. "There’s ample humor in the watercolor, acrylic, and ink illustrations and heaping doses of compassion, too".[13]
Molk's Knitting for Dogs (Random House Studio, 2022) was reviewed by Publishers Weekly as "Molk... demystifies the problem-solving process with measured storytelling, wry images, and a cool but approachable protagonist, acknowledging both the frustrations of hitting a metaphoric wall and the joys of discovering new depths of personal ingenuity".[5]
Selected works
editAs author and illustrator
edit- Good Job, Oliver. Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1999.[4][10][14]
- When You Were Just a Heartbeat. Little, Brown, 2004.[3][11][15]
- Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Flo! Viking, 2015.[6][12]
- Knitting for Dogs. Random House Studio, 2022.[5][16][17]
As illustrator
edit- On the Farm. Edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Little, Brown, 1991.[18][19]
- Beneath the Ghost Moon. Written by Jane Yolen. Little, Brown and Company, 1994.[7][20][21]
- Off We Go. Written by Jane Yolen. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2002.[8][22][23]
- It's a... It's a... It's a Mitzvah. Written by Liz Suneby & Diane Heiman. Jewish Lights Publishing, 2012.[24][25][26][27][28]
- Take Your Time: A Tale of Harriet, the Galápagos Tortoise. Written by Eva Furrow & Donna Jo Napoli. Henry Holt, 2017.[29][30]
- There Might Be Lobsters. Written by Carolyn Crimi. Candlewick, 2017.[13][31][32]
- No Room for a Pup. Written by Elizabeth Suneby. Kids Can, 2019.[33]
- A Synagogue Just Like Home. Written by Alice Blumenthal McGinty. Candlewick Press, 2022.[9][34][35]
References
edit- ^ "Laurel Molk | Authors". Macmillan. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ "About Me/Contact Me". Laurel Molk. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
- ^ a b c "When You Were Just a Heartbeat by Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b c "Good Job, Oliver! by Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b c "Knitting for Dogs by Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b c Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Flo!. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b c "Beneath the Ghost Moon by Jane Yolen, Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b "Off We Go! by Jane Yolen". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b "A Synagogue Just Like Home by Alice Blumenthal McGinty". Publishers Weekly. June 2, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ a b Good Job, Oliver!. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b When You Were Just a Heartbeat. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ a b "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Flo!". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ a b There Might Be Lobsters. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Good Job, Oliver! by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
- ^ When You Were Just a Heartbeat by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
- ^ Knitting for Dogs by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
- ^ Orenstein, Peggy (2023-01-27). "The Threads That Bind Us". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ On the Farm. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ On the Farm by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
- ^ Beneath the Ghost Moon. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Beneath the Ghost Moon by Jane Yolen. Booklist Online.
- ^ Off We Go!. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Off We Go! by Jane Yolen. Booklist Online.
- ^ "Children's Bookwatch". Midwest Book Review. October 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ "It's a… It's a… It's a Mitzvah by Liz Suneby, Diane Heiman". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ It's a . . . It's a . . . It's a Mitzvah by Liz Suneby. Booklist Online.
- ^ Maasdam, Christine (2013-02-26). "Interview with Diane Heiman". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ "It's a...It's a...It's a Mitzvah". Jewish Book Council. 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ Take Your Time. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Take Your Time: A Tale of Harriet, the Galápagos Tortoise by Eva Furrow. Booklist Online.
- ^ There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi. Booklist Online.
- ^ Russo, Maria (2017-06-02). "Bookshelf: Picture Books That Conjure Water Worlds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
- ^ No Room for a Pup!. Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ Sieg, Sarah (August 12, 2022). "A Synagogue Just Like Home". School Library Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ A Synagogue Just Like Home. Kirkus Reviews.