March 2003
Lisa Campbell Ernst
Kansas City, Missouri
 Lisa
Campbell Ernst is nationally recognized for her picture books and stories
for young people. Among her many honors are the Show Me Readers Award,
a Parent's Choice Award,
Booklist's "Pick of the List," a Horn Book Honor
Book Award, the Edgar Wolfe Literary Award, and the Bill Martin,
Jr. Picture Book Award.
Lisa grew up in Oklahoma and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the
University of Oklahoma. After graduation, she moved to New York City
where she worked at the renowned advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather,
and later as an illustrator for books by authors such as Harriet Ziefert
and Seymour Simon. Her first self-illustrated picture book, Sam Johnson
and the Blue Ribbon Quilt, was published in 1983. Since then, she has
written or illustrated more than 50 books.
| When
and how did you first know you wanted to be a children’s author? |
I knew from a very young age that I loved books, loved stories, and loved
illustrations. This primarily came about because my parents read out loud
to me a great deal. But it took me a very long time to even entertain
the thought of being an author, because I had no idea that authors were
real people.
Growing up, I thought authors and illustrators must be some fabulously
exotic, outrageously brilliant, exquisitely talented beings who certainly
had nothing in common with me, a regular kid growing up in Oklahoma. It
wasn’t until after I graduated from college and moved to New York
City that it dawned on me that maybe it wasn’t too crazy for me
to at least try to write.
| Was it difficult to find a publisher for your first book? |
Besides an extreme amount of hard work and a smattering of talent, I owe
my book career to a healthy dose of good luck. So much of getting started
in publishing is finding an editor whose vision is compatible with yours:
what makes a good story, what makes a character interesting, how does
one best pace a book…all of those things are somewhat subjective.
I had the incredible good fortune to end up in the office of an editor
whose sense of story (and sense of humor) matched mine. She was the one
who voiced confidence in me, and published my first book, Sam Johnson
and the Blue Ribbon Quilt.
| Where do you
get ideas and inspirations for the books you write and illustrate? |
The most honest, but not very informative, answer to that question would
be “everywhere.” Trying to pin it down a bit more, I’d
have to say that ideas are rather mysterious things. Our imaginations,
of course, are fueled by our environment. That includes our families,
past and present, our homes, schools, grocery store, the meteor shower
from a few weeks ago, the lemonade stand we had when we were seven years
old, the tuna sandwich we ate for lunch three days ago, and the elevator
music at the doctor’s office that we will hear later today. All
those things, mundane and wondrous, go into our brain, rattle around,
and come out as ideas. Cool!
| Which of your
books do you take the most pride in or enjoy talking about the most?
Do you have affection for one book above all the rest? |
My favorite book is usually the one I’m mulling over in my head,
getting ready to write. The brainstorming stage is my favorite stage because
all things are possible, ideas are swirling, and the unexpected usually
happens.
| What medium(s) do you like best for your illustrations? |
My illustrations are a combination of pastel, pencil, and India ink drawn
with a quill pen. I use the pastel in a very nontraditional way, drawing
on vellum, smoothing the chalk out with my fingertips, and building the
layers up one at a time to a total of between six and eight. The ink line
goes on last, on top of the pastel.
| Once you decide
on the theme or story for a new book, do you usually begin writing
or drawing first? |
I always begin with the story, but draw thumbnail sketches out in the
margins as I go along. Incorporating those two storytelling devices—words
and pictures—into a seamless tale is what creating a picture book
is all about. They develop somewhat hand in hand.
| When you read
books now, or when you read books as a child, what do/did you enjoy
reading most? |
As a child, I most loved to read poetry, dog stories, and biographies
about women. I have to admit there weren’t all that many biographies
about women back then, and I read about the same four or five women (Madame
Curie, Betsy Ross, etc.) over and over again. Now I still enjoy reading
those same types of books, and also books about the craft and art of writing.
| Do you usually
set aside a certain amount of time every day to write/draw, or are
you more likely to work when you feel inspired to do so, rather
than follow a schedule? |
Of course, there’s no time ruled inappropriate when it comes to
dreaming, brainstorming, and mulling over ideas for books. That happens
at all times of the day (and night), and that is part of what I love so
much about my job.
As far as the sitting down and getting it onto paper, I’m very disciplined.
The amount of hours it takes me to complete a book is so large that if
I weren’t disciplined I would never finish a book.
Some days are spent writing or researching, others sketching or designing,
other days simply coloring. My rule is that I can choose which part of
a book to move forward during my work time, but I must move it forward.
It’s a process that works for me.
| Do you receive
correspondence from adults who are fans of your children’s
books as well as from children? |
I love receiving mail from both adults and children. Because I make picture
books, I know that most often they are being read aloud by an adult to
a child. My goal in creating books is to simply tell a good story—one
that can intrigue the reader, no matter the age.
We all bring our own life experiences to the literature we read, and I’m
constantly amazed at the insight and reactions people have to the stories
I tell.
Interview by Sue
Thomas, an author of books for young people. Sue lives in Kansas City
and is a member of the Missouri Center for the Book’s board of
directors.
A Sampling of Books
Written and Illustrated by Lisa Campbell Ernst
A Colorful Adventure of the Bee Who Left Home One
Monday Morning and What He Found Along the
Way
Bear’s Day
Boots for Beth
Bubba and Trixie
Cat’s Play
Come Here,Tiger
Donde Esta el Libro de Clara
Duke the Dairy Delight Dog
Ginger Jumps
Goldilocks Returns
Hamilton’s Art Show
Hannah Mae O’Hannigan’s Wild West Show
Letters Are Lost!
Let’s Get Dressed
Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale
Miss Penny and Mr. Grubbs
Nattie Parson’s Good Luck Lamb
Prize Pig Surprise
Riqui y Marisa
Sam Johnson and the Blue Ribbon Quilt
Spring
Squirrel Park
Stella Louella’s Runaway Book
The Chick That Wouldn’t Hatch
The Luckiest Kid on the Planet
The Rescue of Aunt Pansy
The Tangram Magician
The Three Spinning Fairies: A Tale from the Brothers Grimm
Up to Ten and Down Again
Walter’s Tail
When Bluebell Sang
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