{"id":1476,"date":"2008-10-27T00:01:11","date_gmt":"2008-10-27T06:01:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1476"},"modified":"2009-12-03T22:05:36","modified_gmt":"2009-12-04T04:05:36","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-elisa-kleven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=1476","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Elisa Kleven"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let me tell you a little something: I was feeling so daunted at trying to find the words to express exactly why<\/em> I adore books illustrated by Elisa Kleven<\/strong><\/a> (pictured here with real miniature carousels she herself created) and why I am drawn to her style that, as a stalling technique perhaps, I decided to get online, visit various online bookstores, type in “Elisa Kleven,” and read the reviews of her titles by journals such as Kirkus<\/em>, School Library Journal<\/em>, Publishers Weekly<\/em>, etc. And do you know what? I read A LOT of reviews and never once<\/em> read a criticism of her work as an illustrator. No, seriously. <\/p>\n

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Here are the types of descriptions I read about Elisa’s exuberant folk-art illustrations, rendered in mixed-media collages: vibrantly-hued; thoughtfully-designed; rich with blended textures and intricate details; warm, wondrous, cozy, and reassuring; teeming with life; alive with energetic brushstrokes; charming; delightful; possessing a magical quality that give style and heart to the text; and much more. Wrote School Library Journal<\/em> about The Paper Princess<\/strong><\/a><\/em> (Dutton, 1994), “all the elements of the visual arts—texture, pattern, shape, color, and line—come alive in her skillful hands.” And, in writing about 1989’s Ernst<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, they provide what is, arguably, the best description of her art work: “[The illustrations] produce the same kind of enchanted satisfaction one gets from peeping into a Venetian glass paperweight with all its small, brilliant flowers.” <\/p>\n


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Spread from <\/em>The Paper Princess<\/strong><\/a>; Dutton, 1994<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

And if ever I were asked to name the illustrators who most fire up the imaginations of children—and who most honor their creative spirits—Elisa would be at the top of my list. Hers are spreads of bright, colorful, pastoral landscapes (“kaleidoscope{s} of color and activity,” as one reviewer put it), depicting children in flight and a cast of young people from all over the world who are dreaming, wishing, creating, and happy. “Youngsters will no doubt be inspired to fire up their crayons, markers, and paints after this outing,” wrote Publishers Weekly<\/em> of The Paper Princess<\/em>. Elisa offers up worlds over which readers—children and adult alike—could spend hours, just taking it all in. If we want to talk about “child-centered” picture books, I dare say Elisa is a master: She lets the reader in with such ease to the imaginations of her (or others’) characters. <\/p>\n

But perhaps what I love the most of all is how her protagonists manage to find solace through art and lives of creativity, how they manage to forge connections with others through the arts, or—in the case of 2007’s The Apple Doll<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (published by FSG and reviewed here<\/strong><\/a> at 7-Imp)—through arts and crafts. It’s the restorative power of the arts, one of my favorite themes in all of literature, but I digress. And it’s when Elisa creates spreads like this one (from that same title) that one nearly swoons, I tell ya, from all the color and joy and light: <\/p>\n

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It probably goes without saying, then, that I’m thrilled she’s stopped by this morning for seven questions over breakfast, her breakfast-of-choice being “lots of strong coffee with a little soy milk; toast on warm mornings, vegetable soup on chilly ones.”<\/font> And Elisa has a brand-new illustrated title to tell us about this morning, too: It’s an engaging non-fiction title called Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World<\/strong><\/em><\/a>, written by Roseanne Thong<\/strong><\/a> and just published by Chronicle Books. This collection features wishing customs from fifteen countries that span the globe, providing a double-page spread for each and opening with a four-line poem before a paragraph explaining the wishing tradition. Sound like quintessential Elisa material to you, too? Children wishing, dreaming, hoping. It’s beautiful and seems to be Elisa at her best, but then I tend to think that with each and every book she creates. <\/p>\n

In this interview, she shares four spreads from the book (without the text), as well as many other illustrations and book spreads and many examples of the toys, dolls, and tapestries she’s created over the years. These tie directly into her illustration style and show that it has always been a folk-art one of intricate details and color. <\/p>\n


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“In Thailand, children make wishes each November during Loi Krathong…Festival.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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“Before Noruz…or Iranian New Year, families spread a special ‘cloth of seven dishes’ on a Persian carpet, the traditional place to eat, or on a dinner table.”<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

I have to give seven cheers for Elisa’s coffee selection this morning. Is there any other way to drink coffee than strong? Let’s get the basics while we set the table here and get out our mugs . . . Mmm. <\/p>\n

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7-Imp<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Elisa<\/font><\/strong>: I illustrate both my own and other authors’ texts.<\/p>\n

7-Imp<\/font><\/strong>: Can you list your books-to-date?<\/font><\/p>\n

Elisa<\/font><\/strong>: <\/p>\n