Mercer Mayer

An American children's book author and illustrator, he is best known for his Little Critter and Little Monster series for beginning readers. His most famous individual titles include There's a Nightmare in My Closet and If I Had a Gorilla. He has stated that There's a Nightmare In My Closet and A Boy, A Dog and A Frog were about him as a child dealing with fear of the closet and chasing frogs in Arkansas swamps, respectively.

During his studies at the Honolulu Museum of Art, he decided to become an illustrator. In 1964, he began training at The Art Students League of New York.

He was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He moved to Hawaii at the age of 13 and later moved to New York after high school. He lives with his family in New England.

He follows celebrities on Instagram such as Anne Hathaway and Mindy Kaling.