Debra Frasier

Debra Frasier (April 3, 1953-) grew up in Vero Beach Florida, where her great-grandfather surveyed the land and her grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse. Even as a child, the ocean and nature inspired Frasier to create. She attended the University of Florida and earned a degree in design in 1976. Later, she went on to the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina and made “costume puppets,” some of which required eight people to move the puppet from the inside. In 1984, Frasier and her husband moved to Minneapolis, where she has lived ever since.

Frasier began her first book, On The Day You Were Born, when she was pregnant with her daughter. Since then, she has written and illustrated six more picture books. Her daughter also inspired Miss Alaineus, A Vocabulary Disaster by mistaking the word “miscellaneous” for the name of a person. A Fabulous Fair Alphabet features pictures of signs from the Minnesota State Fair and the Texas State Fair. In addition to illustrating her own books, Frasier has illustrated a number of books for other authors as well. Frasier’s work has received many awards, including the Parent’s Choice Gold Award and the Minnesota Book Award.