Monkey Bars

Watercolor by Lisa Goddard from 1963

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.

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