WALSH, Ellen Stoll 1942-

PERSONAL: Born September 2, 1942, in Baltimore, MD; daughter of Joseph Adolphus (a businessman) and Nell (Orum) Stoll; married David Albert Walsh (a professor), August 25, 1964; children: Benjamin Martin. Education: Maryland Institute of Art, B.F.A., 1964; attended University of Minnesota, 1966-69.

ADDRESSES: Home—29 West St., Fairport, NY 14450.

CAREER: Writer and illustrator. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA, freelance illustrator, 1984—.

MEMBER: Authors Guild, Society of Children's Writers and Illustrators.

AWARDS, HONORS: Merit Award, Art Director's Club Fifty-ninth Annual Exhibition, and Award of Excellence, American Institute of Graphic Arts, both 1980, both for Brunus and the New Bear; Children's Choice selection, International Reading Association, 1982, for Theodore All Grown Up; Ezra Jack Keats Fellow at the Kerlan Collection, University of Minnesota, 1986; Reading Magic Award, Parenting magazine, 1989, for Mouse Paint; National Outdoor Children's Book Award for Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery, 2004.

WRITINGS:

self-illustrated

Brunus and the New Bear, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1979.

Theodore All Grown Up, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1981.

Mouse Paint, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1989.

Mouse Count, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1991.

You Silly Goose, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1992.

Hop Jump, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1993.

Pip's Magic, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1994.

Samantha, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1996.

Jack's Tale, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1997.

For Pete's Sake, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1998.

Mouse Magic, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2000.

Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2001.

Dot & Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2002.

Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery, Harcourt (San Diego, CA), 2003.

ADAPTATIONS: Brunus and the New Bear was made into a filmstrip by Imperial Educational Resources, 1980; Theodore All Grown Up was made into a filmstrip by Spoken Arts, narrated by Frances Sternhagen, with music by Michael Barber, 1982.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Henry and Pell at the Beach.

SIDELIGHTS: Children's author and illustrator Ellen Stoll Walsh is the creator of over a dozen picture books focused on helping young readers learn important skills, such as counting, mixing colors, and overcoming fears. "I was born in Baltimore and grew up in the midst of a very large family," Walsh once told CA. "There were ten children in all, and those of us who were older shared the responsibility of looking after the younger ones. Life was often chaotic with so many people around, but there were many wonderful moments. We were all very close then, and though we are now scattered around the country, we feel closer than ever.

"As a child I loved to read and draw and was very fond of sports. I enjoyed being by myself and would spend hours alone in the woods, often practicing to be an Indian. One of my first great disappointments was learning that no matter how hard I practiced being an Indian, I could never grow up to be one. I loved summer camp, and when I was too old to be a camper, I worked as a counselor until I graduated from college.

"It never occurred to me to write children's books until my son, Ben, was three years old. Ben was curled up in my arms, and we were reading Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Leonni. And all of a sudden, I realized that I wanted to write and illustrate children's books more than anything else. I started immediately and from scratch. Since Alexander was a cut paper book, my first attempt was with cut paper. I experimented with a number of media and finally decided on colored inks. I was amazed to find out how difficult it is to write a good children's story. I quickly learned that no matter how nice the pictures are, if a story is not well thought out, an editor will not give it a second thought!"

Walsh's self-illustrated Mouse Paint and Mouse Count, published in 1989 and 1991 respectively, display the author's use of torn paper illustrations and her ability to write good children's stories. Both books provide creative ways to teach colors and counting to preschoolers. In Mouse Paint, three white mice camouflage themselves on a piece of white paper, remaining inconspicuous to a preying cat. When they decide to venture away from their safe haven, the mice stumble upon pots of red, blue, and yellow paint. Curiously, the mice dip their bodies into the paint, discovering that the original colors form new ones (green, orange, and purple) when blended. After bathing, the mice retreat to their white space to avoid contact with the cat. School Library Journal contributor Karen K. Radtke described Mouse Paint as a "real charmer that's great fun as well as informative." Isabel Schon, a reviewer for Horn Book, also noted that the book is "strikingly illustrated with torn paper collage in bright primary colors."

The mice reappear with seven new friends in Mouse Count, this time trying to escape a multicolored snake. The rodents find themselves trapped when the snake catches them during naptime and puts them in a jar, counting each mouse from one to ten. One of the mice deceives the snake by sending him away to find another mouse. While the snake is gone, the mice escape from the jar. Walsh's illustrations "display a naive charm and exuberance," wrote a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Horn Book reviewer Elizabeth Watson contended that the book provides "counting fun for two-year-olds."

"The first step in making a picture book is finding a good idea for a story," Walsh once explained to CA. "This is probably the most difficult time for me. During this 'waiting period,' I read a lot of other people's stories, talk and listen to children to find out what is important to them, and probe my childhood and my son's for interesting material. I always try out lots of ideas before settling down to one that I think is not only important to write about, but will be visually exciting as well.

"Once I have a good idea for a story, it grows so fast and in so many directions that I often have to remind myself to stop and remember what the original idea was all about. I find it almost impossible to confine myself to an outline, but write pages and pages trying to find the best way to tell my story."

Relaying a message of tolerance and diversity proves evident in Walsh's well-received children's book Hop Jump. Betsy's boredom with hopping and jumping like other frogs stimulates her need to experiment with different movements. The motion of leaves captivates Betsy, so she decides to pattern her own bodily rhythms after them. Betsy calls her new style "dance," but the other frogs proclaim that there is "no room for dancing." Betsy ignores them and continues to enjoy her newfound leaps and twirls. The frogs, however, gradually begin to join in on the fun. One frog still protests dancing and is quickly shunned by the converts who now oppose hopping. Betsy tries to unify the lone frog and the rest of the group by promoting dancing and hopping, thus eradicating the underlying discrimination. School Library Journal contributor Nancy Seiner praised Hop Jump's "large, clearly seen figures and flowing language." Seiner continued by saying Walsh's book is "a popular and useful story time choice." According to a Kirkus Reviews contributor, Hop Jump is a "beautifully designed book that … yields new subtleties and visual delights with each reading."

Pip's Magic, published in 1994, touches on another subject that affects many children—the fear of the dark. Pip, an eager salamander, wants to combat his fear of darkness. A trio of frogs suggest he visit Old Abra, an omniscient wizard turtle, to help with his anxiety of the dark. Pip follows an obscure and lightless path to reach Old Abra, urged on by the frogs, a bird, a snake, and a mouse. Once the salamander reaches Old Abra, the turtle praises Pip and tells him that he has already conquered his fear by following the dark trail, in addition to gaining a little extra courage. Elated over his new sense of confidence, Pip retreats to a safe resting place. The book's "imaginative, boldly colored treatment of a common anxiety is [Walsh's] best work yet," declared a contributor in Kirkus Reviews. Elizabeth Bush, writing in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, praised Walsh's picture book, claiming the tale is "brief, simple, and direct, enlivened by neatly turned similes in Pip's soliloquies."

Walsh explores another common childhood occurrence in Samantha, published in 1996. Samantha, a young mouse, wishes her siblings would not play roughly with her. Samantha's thoughts are acknowledged when a fairy godmother appears and acts as her guardian. The fairy godmother takes her task very seriously and becomes overly protective of Samantha, thus eliminating the little one's fun. The unhappy mouse drives her protector away so that she can regain her normal lifestyle. Although Samantha begins to enjoy her siblings, she is once again susceptible to harm. The young mouse ends up falling in a snowdrift, but is rescued by her fairy godmother, who never ventured far away from her tiny friend. Samantha and her guardian reconcile their relationship by making a new rule: the fairy godmother promises to assist the mouse only in emergencies. Eunice Weech, a reviewer in School Library Journal, regarded Samantha as a "pleasing combination of a short, well-told story and simple but expressive illustrations." Deborah Stevenson asserted in the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books that the story will make a "cozy but not suffocating readaloud."

In For Pete's Sake, Pete is an alligator who thinks he is a flamingo, whose green color just means that he is not "ripe" yet. When Pete meets two creatures who look like him, "Walsh reveals her originality by not settling for the easy resolution," wrote Nancy Vasilakis in Horn Book. Vasilakis concluded her review by calling the book "very cleverly done." Stephanie Zvirin of Booklist remarked that Walsh's illustrations "are pleasingly simple," while a Kirkus Reviews contributor found For Pete's Sake "a comforting, gladdening tale."

In 2001, Walsh began a series about a pair of detective mice, Dot and Jabber. In Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery, the mice try to find why a tiny oak tree is growing so far away from a big oak tree on the other side of the meadow. They know that it was started by an acorn but wonder how the acorn ended up so far away from the tree. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted that "these inquisitive mice [have] an appealing, comical quality." Other reviewers observed that Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery gently introduces young readers to simple science concepts, with Booklist contributor Kathy Broderick remarking, Walsh's "graceful creatures transform the science lesson into something fun, thoughtful, and very special."

Water and insects are featured in two other "Dot & Jabber" books. In Dot & Jabber and the Missing Stream, the mice investigate the reasons a stream has suddenly dried up. They follow clues that include twigs and leaves that lead them to a dam. School Library Journal reviewer Be Astengo remarked favorably upon the collages in the book and commented that "Walsh successfully combines science and good storytelling" in the adventure. When all of the insects seem to disappear in Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery, the rodent sleuths attempt to find the creatures, finally discovering that the bugs never left but were just camouflaged from predators in the meadow's foliage.

"While I'm writing my stories," Walsh once remarked, "I begin to imagine what the characters who move through them look like, and I want to see them on paper. Drawing my characters helps establish their personalities and makes them and my stories come alive for me. It is unwise but often difficult to resist beginning to illustrate a story before it is finished, especially since the story is still undergoing change and a favorite illustration may no longer be appropriate when the story is finished. If you have ever tried to work around a well-turned sentence or paragraph in order to save it, even though it no longer fits in with what you are writing, then you can imagine how difficult it is to edit out a favorite illustration.

"It takes weeks of writing before a story will feel right to me, and after so much writing, the story is invariably too long. I must always keep in mind what the real point of my story is as I cut and chop my favorite paragraphs and sentences. After weeks of work, I hope to end up with a story that is no more than eight hundred words long and appears to have been written effortlessly.

"After my story is finished it will take me about nine months to complete the illustrations. I will often use black-and-white photographs to establish the way a person stands or sits in my illustrations. Once the basic proportions of a figure are set down, I put the photographs aside and work from nature and my imagination."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

books

Walsh, Ellen Stoll, Hop Jump, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1993.

Walsh, Ellen Stoll, For Pete's Sake, Harcourt Brace (San Diego, CA), 1998.

periodicals

Booklist, November 15, 1981, p. 444; November 1, 1993, p. 532; February 15, 1996, p. 1027; October 15, 1998, Stephanie Zvirin, review of For Pete's Sake, p. 430; October 1, 2001, Kathy Broderick, review of Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery, p. 330.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, Elizabeth Bush, review of Pip's Magic, pp. 27-28; June, 1996, Deborah Stevenson, review of Samantha, p. 355.

Childhood Education, spring, 2003, review of Dot & Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream, p. 180.

Horn Book, July-August, 1989, p. 479; May-June, 1991, Elizabeth Watson, review of Mouse Count, p. 325; January, 1993, p. 104; November-December, 1993, Isabel Schon, review of Mouse Paint, p. 769; June, 1995, p. 56; November, 1998, Nancy Vasilakis, review of For Pete's Sake, p. 722.

Junior Bookshelf, December, 1983, p. 238; December, 1985, p. 271; February, 1990, p. 19.

Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 1992, p. 995; October 15, 1993, review of Hop Jump, p. 1339; September 15, 1994, review of Pip's Magic, p. 1285; September 15, 1998, review of For Pete's Sake, p. 1391; August 15, 2002, review of Dot & Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream, p. 1238.

New York Times Book Review, January 26, 1992, p. 21.

Publishers Weekly, December 24, 1979, p. 59; January 25, 1991, review of Mouse Count, p. 56; August 3, 1992, p. 70; September 20, 1993, p. 70; August 22, 1994, p. 54; October 26, 1998, review of For Pete's Sake, p. 65; January 31, 2000, review of Mouse Magic, p. 105; September 3, 2001, review of Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery, p. 87; September 9, 2002, review of Dot & Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream, p. 70; September 1, 2003, review of Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery, p. 117.

School Library Journal, October, 1979, p. 146; February, 1982, p. 71; June, 1989, Karen K. Radtke, review of Mouse Paint, p. 96; October, 1993, Nancy Seiner, review of Hop Jump, p. 113; November, 1994, pp. 92-93; May, 1996, Eunice Weech, review of Samantha, p. 101; October 26, 1998, Miriam Lang Budin, review of For Pete's Sake, p. 100; April, 2000, Carolyn Stacey, review of Mouse Magic, p. 116; September, 2001, Jody McCoy, review of Dot & Jabber and the Great Acorn Mystery, p. 208; November, 2002, Be Astengo, review of Dot & Jabber and the Mystery of the Missing Stream, p. 140; November, 2003, Shelley B. Sutherland, review of Dot & Jabber and the Big Bug Mystery, p. 117.