Mike Curato

{{short description|American writer and illustrator of children's books}}

{{Infobox writer

| embed =

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Mike Curato

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

| image_size =

| image_upright =

| alt =

| caption =

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| pseudonym =

| birth_name =

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| resting_place =

| occupation =

| language =

| nationality = American

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater = Syracuse University

| period =

| genre =

| subject =

| movement =

| notable_works =

| spouse =

| partner =

| children =

| relatives =

| awards = Lambda Literary Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| years_active =

| module =

| website =

| portaldisp =

}}

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.{{Cite web|title=Mike Curato|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7760185.Mike_Curato|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-24|website=Goodreads |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315184713/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7760185.Mike_Curato |archive-date=2023-03-15}}

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.{{cite web |url=https://www.ncronline.org/culture/book-reviews/filipino-american-illustrator-mike-curato-his-book-flamer-and-growing-gay |title=Filipino-American illustrator Mike Curato on his book 'Flamer' and growing up as a gay Catholic |first=Jim |last=McDermott |date=June 24, 2023 |quote=Raised in the 1980s and '90s in a Catholic home just outside of New York City, Mike Curato is a gay Filipino-American illustrator. |access-date=2023-07-19}}

Selected works

= Little Elliot series (2014-2018) =

{{Main|Little Elliot}}

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).

class="wikitable"

|+Accolades for the Little Elliot books

!Year

!Book

!Accolade

!Result

!Ref.

rowspan="4" |2014

| rowspan="7" |Little Elliot, Big City

|Society of Illustrators' Founder's Award

|Winner

|{{Cite web|title=Mike Curato (Founder's Award)|url=https://societyillustrators.org/competition-winners/mike-curato-founders-award/|access-date=2021-12-25|website=Society of Illustrators|language=en-US}}

Amazon's Best Books of 2014: Ages 3-5

|Selection

|{{Cite web|title=Little Elliot Big City|url=https://www.mikecurato.com/little-elliot-big-city|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-25|website=Mike Curato|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620213455/https://www.mikecurato.com/little-elliot-big-city |archive-date=2023-06-20}}

HuffPost's Best Picture Books: Most Charming

|Winner

|{{Cite web|last=Le|first=Minh|date=2014-12-02|title=The Most Stunning Picture Books Of 2014|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-201_1_b_6252098|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-25|website=HuffPost|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620153417/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-201_b_6252098 |archive-date=2023-06-20}}

PBS Best Picture Books

|Honorable Mention

|

rowspan="4" |2015

|Ezra Jack Keats Award: New Illustrator

|Honor

|{{Cite web|title=2015 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award|url=https://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ejk-awards/2015-winners/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-25|website=The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520164450/https://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/ejk-awards/2015-winners/ |archive-date=2022-05-20}}

Communication Arts Award of Excellence: Illustration

|Winner

|{{Cite web|title=Little Elliot, Big City |url=https://www.commarts.com/project/22406/little-elliot-big-city |access-date=2021-12-25|website=Communication Arts|language=en-us}}

New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association: Picture Book of the Year

|Winner

|{{Cite web |title=NAIBA Book of the Year Awards|url=https://www.naiba.com/page/BooksoftheYear/NAIBA-Book-of-the-Year-Awards.htm|url-status=dead |access-date=2021-12-24 |website=New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211225015445/https://www.naiba.com/page/BooksoftheYear/NAIBA-Book-of-the-Year-Awards.htm |archive-date=2021-12-25}}

rowspan="4" |Little Elliot, Big Family

|Amazon's Best Books of 2015: Ages 3-5

|Selection

|{{Cite web|title=Little Elliot Big Family|url=https://www.mikecurato.com/little-elliot-big-family|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-25|website=Mike Curato|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620150512/https://www.mikecurato.com/little-elliot-big-family |archive-date=2023-06-20}}

rowspan="3" |2016

|Children's Book Council Children's Choice Illustrator

|Finalist

|{{Cite web|title=2016 Winners and Finalists|url=https://www.cbcbooks.org/cbc-book-lists/2016-finalists/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-25|website=Children's Book Council|language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190131145216/https://www.cbcbooks.org/cbc-book-lists/2016-finalists/ |archive-date=2019-01-31}}

NCTE Charlotte Huck Award

|Recommended

|{{Cite web|title=NCTE CHARLOTTE HUCK AWARD® OUTSTANDING FICTION FOR CHILDREN PAST WINNERS|url=https://ncte.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Charlotte-Huck-Award-Winners-2015-present.pdf|url-status=dead|access-date=2021-12-25|website=National Council for Teachers of English |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210511132846/https://ncte.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Charlotte-Huck-Award-Winners-2015-present.pdf |archive-date=2021-05-11}}

IndieBound Indies Next List

|Selection

|

2017

|Little Elliot, Fall Friends

|HuffPost's Best Picture Books: Best Friendship/Kindness

|Honorable Mention

|{{Cite web|last=Le|first=Minh|date=2017-12-08|title=Best Picture Books of 2017|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-2017_b_5a2a1798e4b022ec613b80e1|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-25|website=HuffPost|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417163727/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/best-picture-books-of-2017_b_5a2a1798e4b022ec613b80e1 |archive-date=2023-04-17}}

= ''Flamer'' (2020) =

{{Main|Flamer (novel)}}

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.{{Cite web|last=Warnock|first=Kathleen|date=June 8, 2021|title=Writers Honored During Virtual Lambda Literary Awards Ceremony – Gay City News|url=https://gaycitynews.com/lambda-literary-awards-2021/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-24|website=Gay City News|language=en-US |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327165112/https://gaycitynews.com/lambda-literary-awards-2021/ |archive-date=2023-03-27}}

Publications

= Little Elliot series =

= Standalone books =

= Illustrator =

References

{{reflist}}