Laurel Molk is an illustrator and author of children's books.

Career

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Molk 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

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As author and illustrator

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As illustrator

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References

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  1. ^ "Laurel Molk | Authors". Macmillan. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  2. ^ "About Me/Contact Me". Laurel Molk. Retrieved 2023-05-02.
  3. ^ a b c "When You Were Just a Heartbeat by Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  4. ^ a b c "Good Job, Oliver! by Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  5. ^ a b c "Knitting for Dogs by Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  6. ^ a b c Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Flo!. Kirkus Reviews.
  7. ^ a b c "Beneath the Ghost Moon by Jane Yolen, Laurel Molk". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  8. ^ a b "Off We Go! by Jane Yolen". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  9. ^ a b "A Synagogue Just Like Home by Alice Blumenthal McGinty". Publishers Weekly. June 2, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Good Job, Oliver!. Kirkus Reviews.
  11. ^ a b When You Were Just a Heartbeat. Kirkus Reviews.
  12. ^ a b "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Mo, and Flo!". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  13. ^ a b There Might Be Lobsters. Kirkus Reviews.
  14. ^ Good Job, Oliver! by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
  15. ^ When You Were Just a Heartbeat by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
  16. ^ Knitting for Dogs by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
  17. ^ Orenstein, Peggy (2023-01-27). "The Threads That Bind Us". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  18. ^ On the Farm. Kirkus Reviews.
  19. ^ On the Farm by Laurel Molk. Booklist Online.
  20. ^ Beneath the Ghost Moon. Kirkus Reviews.
  21. ^ Beneath the Ghost Moon by Jane Yolen. Booklist Online.
  22. ^ Off We Go!. Kirkus Reviews.
  23. ^ Off We Go! by Jane Yolen. Booklist Online.
  24. ^ "Children's Bookwatch". Midwest Book Review. October 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  25. ^ "It's a… It's a… It's a Mitzvah by Liz Suneby, Diane Heiman". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  26. ^ It's a . . . It's a . . . It's a Mitzvah by Liz Suneby. Booklist Online.
  27. ^ Maasdam, Christine (2013-02-26). "Interview with Diane Heiman". Jewish Book Council. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  28. ^ "It's a...It's a...It's a Mitzvah". Jewish Book Council. 2012. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  29. ^ Take Your Time. Kirkus Reviews.
  30. ^ Take Your Time: A Tale of Harriet, the Galápagos Tortoise by Eva Furrow. Booklist Online.
  31. ^ There Might Be Lobsters by Carolyn Crimi. Booklist Online.
  32. ^ Russo, Maria (2017-06-02). "Bookshelf: Picture Books That Conjure Water Worlds". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  33. ^ No Room for a Pup!. Kirkus Reviews.
  34. ^ Sieg, Sarah (August 12, 2022). "A Synagogue Just Like Home". School Library Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  35. ^ A Synagogue Just Like Home. Kirkus Reviews.


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