Monkey Bars

From childhood on, I’ve kept written journals as well as notebooks filled with pen and ink drawings. My early sketches involved copying such book illustrations as A Friend is Someone who Likes You, and Cowboy and His Friend by Joan Walsh Anglund. Now, in my eighth decade I am returning to pen and ink illustrations as I begin this new pursuit—writing and illustrating children’s books.

My inspiration for stories comes from recollections of my own life. In my first book, Lili Bunny’s Quest, I have drawn upon my kindergarten year at a school in Washington, DC. I was a shy little girl and during recess I took refuge on the monkey bars. How I loved to swing hand-over-hand! It was through this activity school, swinging, climbing across and dropping from those monkey bars, and I remember Desi coming to our house to swim in our pool. I haven’t seen Desi since those years, but his friendship still feels so fresh.

It makes sense when looking for a friend to look for something to do that you love. Whether it’s hiking, or swimming, or swinging on the monkey bars, if you join a group that enjoys what you do, you are likely to find a friend.