Mike Thaler

Michael Charles Thaler, (born 1936) known as Mike Thaler, is an American author and illustrator of children's books.

He graduated in 1955 from Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, CA., and subsequently attended the University of California at Los Angeles and the Art Center College of Design, now located in Pasadena, California, majoring in English and Art.

In November 1960, Thaler wrote and illustrated a Christmas themed cartoon which he submitted to Harper's Bazaar called The Fallen Star.

It was published in the December 1960 issue.

He has published over 210 books between 1961 and 2017.

Thaler was born at Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, California, United States, the son of Benjamin and Jean Thaler.

That same month, he was asked to submit a manuscript for a children's book to Ursula Nordstrom, an editor at Harper and Brothers, after she read The Fallen Star. Nordstrom decided to publish his manuscript, called Magic Boy, in 1961.

This was his first published book.

For 28 years, from 1961 to 1989, 76 books by Thaler were published, including 37 riddle books illustrated by the author, who was dubbed "America's Riddle King" by the Arizona Republic newspaper.

Nordstrom selected three of Thaler's manuscripts to publish in 1962 and 1963: The Clown's Smile, Penny Pencil and Moon Boy.

All were illustrated by Thaler.

Between 1971 and 1973, Thaler met with PBS Electric Company Television Animation Director, Edith Zornow, to present an idea for a new series called "The Adventures of Letterman".

The show premiered during season two, animated by John and Faith Hubley.

It featured a flying superhero in a varsity sweater and a football helmet, who repeatedly foiled the Spell Binder, an evil magician who makes mischief by changing or removing letters to make new words, i.e.HEELS became WHEELS.

The Letterman segments, featured the voices of Zero Mostel, Joan Rivers and Gene Wilder.

(6b) Thaler wrote the scripts for the first two seasons; twenty episodes in total.

In 1981, an editor at Avon Books, Jean Feiwel, paired Thaler with Jared Lee to illustrate Thaler's latest manuscript, A Hippopotamus Ate the Teacher. This partnership would eventually produce over 100 books.

Thaler also collaborated with many illustrators, producing the following works:

The Riddle King Tells His Favorite Riddles, Jokes, Stories, and Songs with Steve Charney, Caedmon (New York, NY), 1985.

The Riddle King's Riddle Song: Scholastic Songs with Steve Charney, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1987.

In 1989, Thaler was chosen to launch the Jell-O Reading Rocket in Lansing, Michigan This program was sponsored by General Foods USA and Jell-O Desserts.

He visited elementary schools throughout the country as one of the authors for the Jello Reading Rocket program for one year.

In 1989, a picture book entitled The Teacher From the Black Lagoon, written by Thaler and illustrated by Jared Lee, was published by Dodd, Mead & Company, Little Brown & Company, and Scholastic.

From 1989 to 2007, The Black Lagoon picture book series adds 20 more titles, with 3 of the titles receiving International Reading Children's Choice Awards: The Cafeteria Lady (1992), The Music Teacher (2001) & The Custodian (2002).

The series is made up of;

The Bully Brothers: 1993–96 Thaler wrote a 4-book series called The Bully Brothers.

In 1995, it received the IRA Children's Choice Award 1995.

All 4 were illustrated by Jared Lee.

Happily Ever After: In 1997 Thaler wrote a series called Happily Ever After. The four fractured fairy tales, illustrated by Jared Lee, won the 1998 International Reading Association (IRA) Children's Choice award.

Hanzel and Pretzel, The Princess and Pea-ano, Schmoe White and the Seven Dorfs and Cinderella Bigfoot and #1 pick by USA Today) Cincinnati Enquirer commentator, Sara Pearce, dubs Thaler and Jared Lee "The court jesters of children's literature".

Heaven and Mirth: Thaler worked with illustrator Dennis Adler on a nine-book series called Heaven and Mirth published by Cook Communications Ministries.

(2000–2001)

Tales From the Back Pew: Zondervan Publishing releases an 8-book series called Tales from the Back Pew written by Thaler and illustrated by Jared Lee, which also included a riddle book and a joke book.

In 2002, Scholastic released the first Black Lagoon Chapter book, The Class Trip from the Black Lagoon.

Between 2002 and 2017, The Black Lagoon chapter book series grew to include 36 books, including;

(2009–2010)

Produced by Weston Woods.

Awards by American Library Association (ALA)

Notable Children's Videos

Between 2015 and 2017, a Black Lagoon special edition series called Hubie Cool released three new books: