Synopses & Reviews
He's the friend you've always wanted. He likes what you like, does what you do, says what you would have said if you'd thought of it first. In fact, he's just like you, only more so. That's Bonkers Fellini!
Come along as a small boy discovers how much more wonderful a day can be when Bonkers is there to enjoy it with him.
About the Author
In Her Own Words..."It was never my plan to become a writer and illustrator of children's books. Although I knew from the age of ten that I wanted to be an artist, it took a long time to discover just what kind of an artist I would be.
"When I was in art school, first at Pratt Institute and then at Portland School of Art, I was a painting major. To be honest, though, I was classified as a painting major because no one could figure out where else to put me. At that time I was making Joseph Cornell-like box constructions, with collage, found objects, and drawings. Graduation from art school left me unable to afford a large enough living space to store all the wonderful junk necessary for my constructions, so I devoted myself almost completely to my drawing.
"After exhibiting my work several times during the next few years, I was encouraged by a friend familiar with publishing to try my hand at illustration. On a whim I made a completely unorganized trip to New York, then Boston. Despite the fact that I did everything all wrong, I managed to get my first job illustrating a children's book. I've been illustrating ever since, and now, with the help and encouragement of Susan Hirschman, I am writing children's books as well.
"I grew up in Maine and still summer there, but I presently live and work in Houston, Texas, with my daughter, Anna, and son, John Gabriel. I love what I do and feel truly blessed in the life I have.
"An important reason why I love what I do so much is that it combines so many of my interests: art, of course; language; fairy tales and mythology; day and night dreams; the world of the child. The last, "the world of the child," is a deeply personal interest for me; I think, in a way, that I have never grown up. I guess I hope I never will."
In Her Own Words...
"It was never my plan to become a writer and illustrator of children's books. Although I knew from the age of ten that I wanted to be an artist, it took a long time to discover just what kind of an artist I would be.
"When I was in art school, first at Pratt Institute and then at Portland School of Art, I was a painting major. To be honest, though, I was classified as a painting major because no one could figure out where else to put me. At that time I was making Joseph Cornell-like box constructions, with collage, found objects, and drawings. Graduation from art school left me unable to afford a large enough living space to store all the wonderful junk necessary for my constructions, so I devoted myself almost completely to my drawing.
"After exhibiting my work several times during the next few years, I was encouraged by a friend familiar with publishing to try my hand at illustration. On a whim I made a completely unorganized trip to New York, then Boston. Despite the fact that I did everything all wrong, I managed to get my first job illustrating a children's book. I've been illustrating ever since, and now, with the help and encouragement of Susan Hirschman, I am writing children's books as well.
"I grew up in Maine and still summer there, but I presently live and work in Houston, Texas, with my daughter, Anna, and son, John Gabriel. I love what I do and feel truly blessed in the life I have.
"An important reason why I love what I do so much is that it combines so many of my interests: art, of course; language; fairy tales and mythology; day and night dreams; the world of the child. The last, "the world of the child," is a deeply personal interest for me; I think, in a way, that I have never grown up. I guess I hope I never will."