"My Grandma was a pastel artist and, for as long as I can remember, an artist is what I wanted to be too," says children's author and illustrator Leslie Patricelli. "My hobby as a kid was drawing cartoons and writing stories, and I started to consider a career in art in seventh grade. When the multiple choice career test I took resulted in a recommendation that I pursue a career in forestry, I went back and changed my answers, so that it recommended instead that I pursue graphic design, which was the closest thing to children's book writer or cartoonist on the list."
Today, Leslie Patricelli's legions of fans are evidence that career tests are not always reliable. Her colorful board books -- YUMMY YUCKY, BIG LITTLE, and QUIET LOUD -- follow her now beloved diaper-clad Baby exploring the world of opposites such as, "Burgers are yummy/Boogers are yucky." Her inspiration for the series came from her son Beck who, at one year old, "was constantly putting everything into his mouth." Says the author, "I found myself saying 'Yummy!' and 'Yucky!' all the time. I began to draw a baby dramatically expressing his taste or distaste for the things he was eating. The idea of YUMMY YUCKY was born!"
Her many other board books featuring her one-haired Baby, including NO NO YES YES, POTTY, TOOT, HUGGY KISSY and MAD MAD MAD were also based on her parenting experiences. "I am inspired by how passionate toddlers are," she says. "I love the way they are so extremely focused on things, and display such intense emotions. It is easy to see what they care about the most."
Her book HIGHER! HIGHER! was selected as a Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards Honor Book. "I credit my daughter, Tia, for writing this book for me," says Leslie. "I was pushing her on the swing at the park when she was two, she started shouting, 'Higher! Higher!' I noticed how the other kids were saying the same thing. We started pretending that with every push I was sending her higher into the sky until she was in space. I went home with the book almost fully formed in my head."
Of her middle-grade series, THE RIZZLERUNK CLUB, Leslie says, "My first book of the series, BEST BUDS UNDER FROGS, was based on my experience of moving to a new school in fourth grade. On my first day, I threw up on the playground in front of everyone! Despite a rocky start, I soon made a new best friend. Fourth grade became one of my favorite and most memorable years in school. Watching my own kids pass through this age as I wrote the book gave me a fresh look at modern fourth graders, so I wasn't just relying on my own memories, but getting to participate in that transformative year all over again."
"My favorite part of writing books is the moment when a new idea comes into my head," says Leslie. "If I give it my attention, a book will start forming in my mind. When this happens, I most certainly have a smile on my face."
Leslie Patricelli lives in the mountain town of Hailey, Idaho with her husband, Jason, three cats and a devoted, stick-loving dog. Of the many outdoor activities she loves doing in the mountains, skiing untracked powder and mountain biking during wildflower season are at the top of the list. Her son, Beck, is living and playing jazz piano in Brooklyn, NY, her daughter, Tia, is currently traveling the world, and her youngest, Tatum, is a Sophomore at University of Washington, where Leslie is also an alumnus. Her husband is a drummer, music engineer, ski instructor, and her on-request editor. He also will do any pose she requests so she can get a character drawing just right!
