Quick Facts
Biography
Mike Curato is a Filipino-American writer and illustrator of children's books. His graphic novel, Flamer, received a Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2021.
Personal life
Curato was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City and currently lives in Brooklyn.
He received a bachelor of fine arts degree from Syracuse University before moving to Seattle to pursue a career as a graphic designer.
He is Filipino-American and was raised Catholic.
Selected works
Little Elliot series (2014-2018)
The Little Elliot series follows an elephant named Elliot and consists of five books: Little Elliot, Big City (2015); Little Elliot, Big Family (2015); Little Elliot, Big Fun (2016); Little Elliot, Fall Friends (2017); and Merry Christmas, Little Elliot (2018).
| Year | Book | Accolade | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Little Elliot, Big City | Society of Illustrators' Founder's Award | Winner | |
| Amazon's Best Books of 2014: Ages 3-5 | Selection | |||
| HuffPost's Best Picture Books: Most Charming | Winner | |||
| PBS Best Picture Books | Honorable Mention | |||
| 2015 | Ezra Jack Keats Award: New Illustrator | Honor | ||
| Communication Arts Award of Excellence: Illustration | Winner | |||
| New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association: Picture Book of the Year | Winner | |||
| Little Elliot, Big Family | Amazon's Best Books of 2015: Ages 3-5 | Selection | ||
| 2016 | Children's Book Council Children's Choice Illustrator | Finalist | ||
| NCTE Charlotte Huck Award | Recommended | |||
| IndieBound Indies Next List | Selection | |||
| 2017 | Little Elliot, Fall Friends | HuffPost's Best Picture Books: Best Friendship/Kindness | Honorable Mention |
Flamer (2020)
Flamer is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel, published September 1, 2020 by Henry Holt and Company. The book has received various accolades, including the Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2021.
Publications
Little Elliot series
- Little Elliot, Big City, published August 26, 2014 by Henry Holt and Company
- Little Elliot, Big Family, published October 6, 2015 by Henry Holt and Company
- Little Elliot, Big Fun, published August 30, 2016 by Henry Holt and Company
- Little Elliot, Fall Friends, published August 29, 2017 by Henry Holt and Company
- Merry Christmas, Little Elliot, published September 11, 2018 by Henry Holt and Company
Standalone books
- Flamer, published September 1, 2020 by Henry Holt and Company
- Where is Bina Bear?, expected to be published January 11, 2022 by Henry Holt and Company
Illustrator
- Worm Loves Worm, written by J. J. Austrian and published January 5, 2016 by Balzer + Bray
- All the Way to Havana, written by Margarita Engle and published August 29, 2017 by Henry Holt and Company
- What If..., written by Samantha Berger and published April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
- Sunny Day: A Celebration of Sesame Street, written by Joe Raposo; illustrated alongside Christian Robinson, Selina Alko, Brigette Barrager, Roger Bradford, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Ziyue Chen, Joey Chu, Pat Cummings, Leo Espinosa, Tom Lichtenheld, Rafael López, Emily Winfield Martin, Joe Mathieu, Kenard Pak, Greg Pizzoli, Sean Qualls, and Dan Santat; and published October 22, 2019 by Random House Books for Young Readers
- The Power of One: Every Act of Kindness Counts, written by Trudy Ludwig, published August 25, 2020 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
- The Sharey Godmother, written by Samantha Berger and published April 13, 2021 by Imprint
- What Are You? written by Christian Trimmer and expected to be published October 18, 2022 by Roaring Brook Press