Interview with author/illustrator Elisa Kleven
by Aline Pereira*

A master of imaginary worlds, Elisa Kleven is the author/illustrator of highly-praised children's books, including The Paper Princess and The Lion and the Little Red Bird. In addition, her signature collage-illustration work includes the following credits, among many others: Our Big Home, by Linda Glaser; Abuela and Isla, by Arthur Dorros; and De Colores, an anthology of Latin American folk songs selected by Jose-Luis Orozco. Her most recent works can be seen in A Carousel Tale and Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World, by Roseanne Thong.

She lives near San Francisco with her husband, daughter, son, dogs and cats.

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When did you realize art was something you wanted to create "for the rest of your life"?

Art has always been a part of my life. I was the  kid who would be drawing paper dolls on the back of my math worksheets in second grade,  and the college freshman who, between writing long papers,  batiked Ukranian eggs or wove tapestries in her dorm room. After graduating from Berkeley I became a teacher and, though I enjoyed  it,  my inner life kept  pestering me to help it get out in the form of stories and pictures.  So one summer I decided to devote myself to making dummy books of  manuscripts I had written.  And from there I went on to become a full time illustrator/writer of picture books.

How important do you feel imaginary adventures are to a child's development? What role did they play in your development as an artist? What particular elements of your childhood did you carry over with you, into your adult life?

I think imagination is crucial to a child's development,  and I  fear that it is endangered. The demands on children to test well and "achieve" can, in my opinion, come at a terrible cost to their inner lives. Children need to be exposed to good books, beautiful pictures and creations. They need  time to play and make believe. I sometimes imagine what fantastic make-believe worlds J K Rowling or Phillip Pullman must have invented as children.  But imaginative, creative work/play at any age requires time and peace and quiet, which are increasingly lacking in many kids' over-scheduled lives.

My childhood was one big imaginary adventure, in that I was constantly pretending and playing.  While I rode in the car, on L.A. streets and freeways, I'd pretend I was in a covered wagon with Laura and Mary from the Little House books. When I rode my bike, I'd imagine I was riding on my wild mustang, Ginger. Trolls and fairies lived in the orange trees in my yard. On my website I have some pictures of the miniature worlds I made as a child. And I'm still creating imaginary worlds, to this day - thinking up characters and building stories and settings around them.

I carry around a lot  of my childhood with me.  I remember how it felt to be small and powerless. I am intrigued and delighted  by "pretty" or "simple" things like rainbows, animals, rain, puddles,  flowers. I suppose that, for a somewhat "sophisticated" person, I still take a lot of childlike wonder and joy in the world. I have never outgrown my search for a magical place - sometimes I get the same achy feeling looking at big, puffy clouds that I used to get when I was a kid, imagining they were, well, enchanted kingdoms.

Would you tell us about your work as an illustrator? Do you have favorite techniques and/or materials?

I love using watercolor because of its magical, fluid and unexpected qualities. It reminds me of weather and the elements, so I usually use it for skies and large background areas. My characters are usually outlined with a fine ink pen, though I also use a bit of colored pencil and pastel. My favorite materials are the collage scraps I'm constantly finding and collecting - anything from wool to lace to postage stamps to doilies - which I cut and shape and work into my pictures in various ways.

Your exuberant and vibrant illustrations seem to be influenced by Latin American art. Is that so? What/who are some of your influences?

I am influenced by the folk art of every country, and by any artist I love, from Giotto to Horace Pippin, from Mary Cassatt to Henri Matisse. Beauty and intellligence in all its many forms influence me, be it a scene from a movie, a winding path to the beach, or a good story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, Katherine Paterson, Polly Horvath, or William Steig.

What came first, writing or illustrating books?

They came together! I can't make a picture without thinking of a story to go along with it, and, likewise, I can't write a story without visualizing images.

Your books celebrate many wonderful things: the power of imagination, friendship, kindness, diversity... What's the main thing you try to convey to children through your work?

I suppose I try to show a world which is made livable through love, kindness and connection; and I try to show that  problems can often be solved through creativity. 

Would you tell us a little about your work on Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World?

I was very happy when my editor at Chronicle Books gave me Roseanne Thong's manuscript. I love to explore traditions and cultures other than my own, and wishing is a big part of my life and my work: all of  my own stories, from Ernst to The Apple Doll and The Wishing Ball, feature characters with intense wishes - not to mention that all children are, of course, expert wishers. So the book resonated with me in many ways.

I tried to talk to as many "real" people as possible about their traditions. I went to a Persian Nowrooz celebration, and spoke to an Indian friend about her schooling and life. I asked some Australian friends about their Christmases; I nagged Chinese friends about  Banyan Trees; and remembered how I felt looking at and touching the Western Wall in Jerusalem, when I was there.

What do you do when you’re in need of a little creative spark?

I go into nature - to the beach, or the woods. Sometimes I go to the beautiful, circle-shaped Buddhist garden at Green Gulch Farm, near Muir Beach, and find immense peace and inspiration there; I also listen to music that moves me; talk to my kids; play with and pet my cats and dogs; observe tiny children at the playground near my home; get a big stack of wonderful childrens' books from the library...

Do your children give you feedback, or collaborate with you in any way, on your book projects? How do you nurture their creative and can-do spirit?

My children often inspire me - I got the idea for A Monster in My House, for example, when my daughter caught her baby brother slobbering on her favorite Beany Baby and said, "Mom I feel like there's a monster in my house." They used to model for me when they were smaller (they are 12 and 17 now). My daughter is a good critic, so I often have her read my stories before I send them off.

As for nurturing them, that's hard to narrow down... Every child brings a different gift to the world, so I make sure to appreciate what it is that they have to offer. I encourage them to be true to themselves, and to be kind to their fellow creatures, both human and animal, and to the earth. In terms of creativity and inspiration, I always made art supplies available, took them to the library and gave them good books, and tried to get them to appreciate nature's mystery and beauty.

Do you have a favorite among all the books you've created? If so, what makes it extra-special for you?

I think my favorite is The Paper Princess. One thing that makes it resonate especially strongly with me is that I was the kind of kid who constantly drew and cut out little paper people and animals. Sometimes they would blow away, and I would imagine what kinds of adventures they were having "out there." So this book truly grows right out of my childhood.

I like the Princess's bravery and friendliness. Though she is extremely fragile, she faces life and embraces its adventures with open arms.

A lot of my stories center on children making things and using their imaginations. The old saying about "writing what you know" definitely applies to the kinds of stories I write and illustrate. My upcoming book, A Carousel Tale,also features a young artist, who makes something whole and wonderful out of something broken.

Do you or your family have any favorite books that fit the theme of "Children's Power to Make a Difference"?

My daughter and I love Markus Zusak's The Book Thief, and Astrid Lindgren's Ronia the Robber's Daughter, about a very tough but sensitive girl who helps bridge the gap between two warring robber tribes in ancient Sweden. The Secret Garden and To Kill A Mockingbird are perennial favorites. And two picture books (there are so many!) also come immediately to mind: Page McBrier's Beatrice's Goat and Munro Leaf's Ferdinand.

Any new books coming out soon?

In addition to A Carousel Tale, coming out this month, I have two new books due out in 2010. One written by Thacher Hurd, called The Weaver (Farrar, Straus & Giroux); and the other one my own, featuring a little elephant (Tricycle Press).

*Aline Pereira is PaperTigers Managing Editor/Producer

Posted February 2009

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