Leslie Patricelli

Hi Readers! My favorite part of my career is seeing kids and parents laughing and loving my books together. Nothing makes me happier than watching a toddler crack up over TOOT or QUIET LOUD, or hearing from a middle-grader who wants to read more of my series, THE RIZZLERUNK CLUB. Seeing fan photos and videos and hearing stories from readers brings joy to my day a smile to my face and inspires me to keep writing, so please share! My career aspirations started young. Growing up with a pastel artist grandma, I always knew I wanted to be an artist too. As a kid, I drew cartoons and wrote stories to entertain myself and my friends. In seventh grade, I desperately manipulated my career test to recommend graphic design instead of forestry—much closer to my dream of being a children's book writer! Unlike some of our most beloved children's book authors who didn't have kids (and maybe didn't even like them!), for me, having a baby was the secret to starting my career. My son Beck, a voracious (and sometimes questionable) taster of the world, inspired my first book, YUMMY YUCKY. I found myself exclaiming "Yummy!" and "Yucky!" all the time as he put everything in his mouth, and started cartooning this diaper-clad baby eating things and getting into all sorts of trouble. I am fascinated by toddlers. Their passion is infectious, and it’s easy to see what they care about! My other board books, including NO NO YES YES, POTTY, and MAD MAD MAD, spring from watching their intense emotions. The words of many of my books came right out of my own kids' mouths. My book Boston Globe Honor Award-winning book, HIGHER! HIGHER!, came from a day at the park with my daughter, Tia. While I pushed her on the swing, she yelled "Higher! Higher!" and we started pretending she was going all the way into outer space. Suddenly, I had a book idea soaring in my mind. Sometimes my books are about my childhood, which I remember well. I loved writing my series for middle-grade kids (7-10): THE RIZZLERUNK CLUB, which is a nod to my fourth-grade mishaps—throwing up on the playground on the first day at my new school, lying to my best friend, and growing up on Pine Lake in Issaquah, Washington catching frogs! Watching my kids go through this age gave me fresh insight! I live in the beautiful mountain town of Hailey, Idaho, with my husband Jason and three cats. I love doodling, skiing powder, mountain biking during the wildflower season, and playing my clarinet with the local orchestra. My kids have flown the coop, so you might catch me staring intently at someone else's toddler or eavesdropping on some kids' conversation looking for ideas! My son Beck lives in Brooklyn playing jazz piano, my daughter Tia is a grad student in D.C., and my youngest, Tatum, is studying art in Rome. Jason is a multi-talented drummer, music engineer, and my go-to editor, always ready to strike a pose for my character drawings!