Whenever I review several books by one author, I like to take a look at the author themselves and discover what makes them who they are and how they got the ideas for their projects. Let’s get to know Rosemary Wells.
Her father was a playwright and actor, and her mother danced in the Russian ballet. Both of them loved to read, and her grandmother took her to the New York museums on a regular basis. Because of this classical upbringing, she was surrounded by music and art, and at the early age of two began to exhibit artistic skills. Her parents supported her in this from the very start.
She attended Boston Museum School, and, after her marriage, found a job working at Macmillan as a designer. Her first book was published while working there. This was only the start to a long career, which has now continued on for over thirty years. Her most famous characters are “Max and Ruby,” now the stars of their own television show. She also created Noisy Nora, Yoko, and has brought Mother Goose back to life in two editions.
She says that she gathers the ideas for her stories from everyday life. Ruby and Max are patterned after her daughters Victoria and Beezoo. (I’m sure Beezoo is a nickname.) Her characters Benjamin, Tulip, and Timothy are based on a dog she once had whose name was Angus.
She uses animals as her characters instead of people because “animals are broader in range–age, time, and place–than children are. They also can do things in pictures that children cannot. They can be slapstick and still real, rough and still funny, maudlin and still touching.”
Rosemary is a huge advocate of literacy for children, and has written a book entitled “Read to Your Bunny” to go along with her campaign, the slogan of which is “Take Twenty; Read to Your Bunny.” Her favorite children’s picture book is “Goodnight Moon,” by Margaret Wise Brown, because it is a timeless piece that speaks to children. She encourages grandparents, babysitters, and parents to take the time to read to children. I can’t think of a better crusade.
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