Laurel Graeber

Contributing Writer and Editor at The New York Times

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Articles

Kwame Alexander on Bringing the Free Spirit of Jazz to Young Viewers

1 week ago | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

The latest in the author's Acoustic Rooster franchise, a PBS Kids special and series aim to teach children the beauty of collaboration and improvisation. In 2010, the poet and novelist Kwame Alexander faced a challenge that is familiar to parents everywhere. His younger daughter, then a year old, wouldn't stop wailing. Lullabies failed. Rocking didn't help, nor did a car ride.
Younger Museum Curators Tell New (or Forgotten) Stories

3 weeks ago | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

Across the United States, younger curators work to broaden audiences and redefine not only what an exhibition can be but also what an artwork is. This article is part of our Museums special section about how artists and institutions are adapting to changing times. When Daniel Merritt became chief curator of an art museum at 32, he did not expect his profession to require him - or the public - to put on skis.
2025 New York International Children's Film Festival

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

A teenager rescues and defends an infant creature whose species the surrounding adults have condemned as vicious and predatory. Another adolescent battles injury and other hurdles in a quest for basketball stardom. A small child in Mexico contracts polio but finds solace in the world of art. And an 11-year-old Kurdish immigrant arrives in Berlin, ultimately relying on soccer talent to feel at home again.
La casa de Ana Frank llega a Nueva York

Jan 23, 2025 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

Los niños parecen los típicos alumnos de un jardín de infancia: algunos sonríen a la cámara; otros miran tímidamente a un lado; otros parecen ensimismados. Una niña delgada y de cabello oscuro con un vestido claro luce precozmente seria.
Bringing Anne Frank's Secret Annex to New York, and the World

Jan 22, 2025 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

The children seem like typical kindergartners: Some beam at the camera; some glance coyly aside; others appear lost in reverie. One slim, dark-haired girl in a pale dress looks precociously serious.
'Carl the Collector' Puts an Autistic Child (Well, Raccoon) in the Lead

Nov 22, 2024 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

Carl isn't unlike many small children you may know. He balks when his mother suggests he get rid of some of his many stuffed animals. If his friends want to play a game that isn't his favorite, he feels frustrated. And when he realizes he has left one of his prized toy collections away from home, he needs help falling asleep. But Carl also differs from most of his peers, and not just because he is a fuzzy little raccoon.
Cooper Hewitt's Triennial Explores the Idea of Home

Oct 22, 2024 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber |Jeenah Moon

This article is part of the Fine Arts & Exhibits special section on the art world stretching boundaries with new artists, new audiences and new technology.
Elephants Arrive, So Humans Don't Forget

Sep 6, 2024 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

More than a century ago, New York City's Meatpacking District teemed with large animals, most of them bound for a bloody end. Now, herds of huge creatures are once again gathered on this downtown Manhattan neighborhood's cobblestone streets, but these are taking part in a new and joyful journey.
┬íV├ímonos! Dora Is Back for a New Round of Exploring

Apr 9, 2024 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

Boots, Map, Swiper and Backpack all return too, in a new "Dora" that includes a lot more Latin music and Spanish language. Barbie isn't the only childhood heroine experiencing a renaissance. Yet unlike the doll of last year's blockbuster movie, the next pop-culture star who's about to re-emerge isn't a statuesque blonde in stiletto heels. She's a pint-size Latina with sturdy sneakers and a trusty backpack. Welcome back, Dora.
Paper Bag Players Celebrate 65 Years of Making Magic Out of the Ordinary

Mar 6, 2024 | nytimes.com | Laurel Graeber

The children's theater company will bring its latest production, "It's a Marvelous Paper Bag World!," to stages in New York this spring. What fun can you have with plain brown grocery sacks and empty cardboard cartons? Preschoolers know how to derive joy from these objects (as does any curious cat). But perhaps the best way to appreciate their magical potential is to watch the Paper Bag Players, a New York City children's theater company that thrives on turning the ordinary into the unexpected.