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Leonard Kessler
What is your connection to Ohio?
My connection to Ohio. . . .I was born in Akron, Ohio on October 28, 1920 on Fountain Ave. Family moved to Pittsburgh in '22.
What inspired you to become an author or illustrator?
I always loved to draw. . .starting at age six when my beloved grandma Marya, who drew the most magnificent birds, gave me my first set of crayolas. . .I was hooked. . how wonderful. . .to make pictures in color. I also loved words. . . .writing poems. . .stories. and loved to put words and pictures together. . . .I could make a little book.Those were the young years. . .as a teenager I loved music. . .playing jazz on my clarinet.. . playing jazz with my friends. . . . .great years. .then came. . .World War 2. .I spent three years in the infantry. . as scout and observer going behind the enemy lines. . .making sketches and maps of the enemy positions. . I was wounded in action in Normandy, but recovered and returned to action with my outfit, the 28th infantry division. . .
On my return to Pittsburgh, where my family moved when I was eighteen months. .I decided to go to college on the GI bill. . .to Carnegie Tech, now Carnegie Mellon, to study art. . .Upon graduation in 1949, my wife Ethel and I headed for New York City. . I was a painter. . .but I also loved writing and illustrating. . . .
I was lucky when Wm. R. Scott published my first book, What's In a Line?, a first book on drawing for young kids. . .that was in 1951 and I have been an author/illustrator ever since. . .more than 200 books. .some with other authors, 45 books that Ethel and I collaborated together. . .
What advice do you have for a young author or illustrator?
Advice to young authors and illustrators. .do it because you love it. . .write and draw everyday. . .carry a little sketch book with you. . . . .draw when you are waiting at the doctor's office. . .at the beach. . .alone in your room. . . .draw draw. . .and when you draw. . . .be yourself. . .you are the artist. And you drawings are you, , ,and yet. . .look at the paintings of the great artists. . .Picasso. . .Rembrandt. . . .Goya. . .Pollack. . .etc. . .see what they have done. . .look at all the many ways there are to paint.To be a writer. . . . . write. . . .keep a journal and write in it every day. . . . .if you only write two lines a night. . . . .at the end of the year you will have. . . . .730 lines. . . .!!!
What do you like to do for fun?
What do I do for fun?. . .well, drawing and painting are fun. . .so I draw when I am watching TV. . . .whenever I get a new idea for a book. . . .I jot it down on a little pad. . .I also love music. . . .go to concerts. . .listen to music cds. . .love Beethoven. .Mozart. . .Benny Goodman. . .Bob Dylan. . .Norah Jones...Bach. . .BB King. . . .and lots more. .I love to read. . . .walk. . . .play tennis. . .have dinner with my friends. . .love to talk. .but most of all. . . .I love writing and illustrating books for kids. . .I wish that I had lived longer in Ohio. . .I lived for a few months in Canton, Ohio when Ethel was working there. . .
And now I live in Florida. . .in a treehouse. .**surrounded by wild birds. . .and trees. . .and look forward each day to be working on a new story. .
. . . . . .
**actually, there are other treehouses next to mine. . . .but it's nice. . .to live in the lush,warm climate of western Florida.
Some of your most popular books are:
- Stan the hot dog man (1990)
- Saturn : the spectacular planet (1983)
- Old Turtle's baseball stories (1982)
- Binky brothers, detectives (1968)
- Kick, pass, and run (1966)
- Here comes the strikeout (1965)
- Old Turtle's winter games (1983)
- The big mile race (1983)
- Last one in is a rotten egg (1969)
- Old Turtle's soccer team (1988)
