Elise Primavera
Encyclopedia
Elise Primavera is an American author
and illustrator
of children's novels. She arrived on the literary scene in 1981 as an illustrator for Atheneum
, Putnam
, and other publishing houses. Over the course of the last three decades, she has been a prolific illustrator and has written and illustrated several well-received books of her own.
. As a young girl, her brother, whom she admired greatly as an artist, taught her to draw a tree and a simple cartoon. She began copying cartoons she found in comic books, drawing on anything she could find, including her school books, her desks, and even getting in trouble for drawing on her clothing. Her interest in art grew more serious during the summer after she turned 11, when she contracted rheumatic fever
and was confined to bed for the entire summer. During the enforced physical inactivity
, she used the time to refine her drawing ability by working through several "learn-to-draw" books. Her childhood goal was to become an Olympic rider
, and after she recovered from her illness and was no longer bedridden, she was rekindled her love for horseback riding.
During her childhood, she became an admirer of the works of great artists, particularly that of Michelangelo
, as her parents had large replicas of his paintings that she particularly enjoyed. She specifically credits the period when she was ill for motivating her to develop her artistic skills in a serious way. She also enjoyed the work of Howard Pyle
, an artist she discovered on a trip to the college art museum. After a visit to an art museum during college, she set aside her dream of becoming an Olympian to focus full-time on becoming an artist. Primavera lived for a time in Red Bank, New Jersey
, but she currently resides in New York City
. She is not married.
. During college, she turned her artistic talents to fashion illustration
, but she realized quickly that beginning a career in this field was very difficult. After college, she gave up this pursuit, and decided to become an artist. Her first published work appeared in 1981, with the release of The Mermaid's Cape and The Snug Little House, which she illustrated. Her first work as an author, Basil and Maggie, was published in 1983.
Primavera has stated that she gets her best ideas while taking showers. She wrote the book Auntie Claus in 1999, after one such "shower session."
According to the New York Times, her illustrations in that book "brim with fantastic energy" and, in fact, were of such quality that dioramas based upon the illustrations appeared in the window of the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue
stores in Manhattan. In 2005, Primavera was chosen to create the art for the White House's
Holiday Program. Her first novel-length work, The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls
, was released in 2006, and in recent years, she has been very prolific, releasing two books in the Fred and Anthony series in 2007, with two more set to be released in 2008. She is also working on another book about the Gumm Street Girls.
Ralph's Frozen Tale, c. 1991, Putnam
The Three Dots, c. 1993, Putnam
Plantpet, c. 1994, Putnam and Gosset Group.
Auntie Claus, c. 1999, Silver Whistle/Harcourt Brace.
Tatie Noël, c. 2001, Milan.
Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas, c. 2002, Silver Whistle/Harcourt.
The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls, c. 2006, Harper Collins
Fred and Anthony Escape from the Netherworld, (As Esile Arevamirp), c. 2007, Hyperion.
Fred and Anthony Meet the Super-de-Germ-O Zombie, (As Esile Arevamirp), c. 2007, Hyperion.
Fred & Anthony Meet the Heinie Goblins from the Black Lagoon, (As Esile Arevamirp), c. 2008, Hyperion.
Fred & Anthony's Horrible, Hideous Back-to-School Thriller, (As Esile Arevamirp)
The Snug Little House, by Eils Moorehouse Lewis, c. 1981, Atheneum.
Surprise in the Mountains, by Natalie Savage Carlson, c. 1983, Harper & Row.
Uncle George Washington and Harriet's Guitar, by Miriam Anne Bourne, c. 1983, Coward McCann.
The Bollo Caper, by Art Buchwald
, c. 1983, Putnam.
Grandma's House, by Elaine Moore, c. 1985, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books.
Make Way for Sam Houston, by Jean Fritz, c. 1986, Putnam.
Hobie Hanson, You're Weird, by Jamie Gilson
, c. 1987, Pocket Books.
Christina Katerina and the Time She Quit Her Family, by Patricia Lee Gaugh, c. 1987, Putnam.
Best Witches: Poems for Halloween, by Jane Yolen
, c. 1988, Putnam.
Double Dog Dare, by Jamie Gilson
, c. 1988, Pocket Books.
Grandma's Promise, by Elaine Moore, c. 1988, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books.
Christina Katerina and the Great Bear Train, by Patricia Lee Gaugh, c. 1990, Putnam.
Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise, by Diane Stanley, c. 1992, Putnam.
Santa and Alex, by Delis Ephron, c. 1993, Little Brown & Company.
Woe is Moe, by Diane Stanley, c. 1995, Putnam.
Jack, Skinny Bones, and the Golden Pancakes, by M.C. Helldorfer, c. 1996, Viking.
Wowo, the Radio Dog, by Kevin McCloskey, c. 1996, William Morrow & Company.
Moonlight Kite, by Helen Elizabeth Buckley, c. 1997, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books.
Raising Dragons, by Jerdine Nolen, c. 1998, Silver Whistle.
Hewitt Anderson's Big Life, by Jerdine Nolen, c. 2001, Harcourt Children's Books.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
of children's novels. She arrived on the literary scene in 1981 as an illustrator for Atheneum
Atheneum Books
Atheneum Books was a publishing house and adult publisher created by Alfred A. Knopf, Jr. in 1959. He recruited editor Jean E. Karl personally, to come and establish a Children's Book Department in 1961....
, Putnam
G. P. Putnam's Sons
G. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
, and other publishing houses. Over the course of the last three decades, she has been a prolific illustrator and has written and illustrated several well-received books of her own.
Biography
Primavera was born in West Long Beach, New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. As a young girl, her brother, whom she admired greatly as an artist, taught her to draw a tree and a simple cartoon. She began copying cartoons she found in comic books, drawing on anything she could find, including her school books, her desks, and even getting in trouble for drawing on her clothing. Her interest in art grew more serious during the summer after she turned 11, when she contracted rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that occurs following a Streptococcus pyogenes infection, such as strep throat or scarlet fever. Believed to be caused by antibody cross-reactivity that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain, the illness typically develops two to three weeks after...
and was confined to bed for the entire summer. During the enforced physical inactivity
Bed rest
Bed rest is a medical treatment involving a period of consistent recumbence in bed. It is used as a treatment for an illness or medical condition, especially when prescribed or chosen rather than resulting from severe prostration or imminent death...
, she used the time to refine her drawing ability by working through several "learn-to-draw" books. Her childhood goal was to become an Olympic rider
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, and after she recovered from her illness and was no longer bedridden, she was rekindled her love for horseback riding.
During her childhood, she became an admirer of the works of great artists, particularly that of Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
, as her parents had large replicas of his paintings that she particularly enjoyed. She specifically credits the period when she was ill for motivating her to develop her artistic skills in a serious way. She also enjoyed the work of Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.__FORCETOC__...
, an artist she discovered on a trip to the college art museum. After a visit to an art museum during college, she set aside her dream of becoming an Olympian to focus full-time on becoming an artist. Primavera lived for a time in Red Bank, New Jersey
Red Bank, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 11,844 people, 5,201 households, and 2,501 families residing in the borough. The population density was 6,639.1 people per square mile . There were 5,450 housing units at an average density of 3,055.0 per square mile...
, but she currently resides in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She is not married.
Career
While Primavera displayed an interest in art from a very young age, she has said in Talking With Artists, "I can't say I ever really dreamed I'd grow up to be an artist." Instead, she had focused from a young age on becoming an Olympic horseback riderEquestrian at the Summer Olympics
Equestrianism made its Summer Olympics debut at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. It disappeared until 1912, but has appeared at every Summer Olympic Games since. The current Olympic equestrian disciplines are Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping...
. During college, she turned her artistic talents to fashion illustration
Fashion illustration
Fashion Illustration is the communication of fashion that originates with illustration, drawing and painting. It is usually commissioned for reproduction in fashion magazines as one part of an editorial feature or for the purpose of advertising and promoting fashion makers, fashion boutiques and...
, but she realized quickly that beginning a career in this field was very difficult. After college, she gave up this pursuit, and decided to become an artist. Her first published work appeared in 1981, with the release of The Mermaid's Cape and The Snug Little House, which she illustrated. Her first work as an author, Basil and Maggie, was published in 1983.
Primavera has stated that she gets her best ideas while taking showers. She wrote the book Auntie Claus in 1999, after one such "shower session."
According to the New York Times, her illustrations in that book "brim with fantastic energy" and, in fact, were of such quality that dioramas based upon the illustrations appeared in the window of the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is a luxury American specialty store owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises , a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the high-end specialty store market in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, i.e. 'the 3 B's' Bergdorf, Barneys, Bloomingdale's and Lord & Taylor...
stores in Manhattan. In 2005, Primavera was chosen to create the art for the White House's
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
Holiday Program. Her first novel-length work, The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls
The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls
The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls is a children's novel written by Elise Primavera. The book was published by HarperCollins in 2006.-Introduction:...
, was released in 2006, and in recent years, she has been very prolific, releasing two books in the Fred and Anthony series in 2007, with two more set to be released in 2008. She is also working on another book about the Gumm Street Girls.
As author/illustrator
Basil and Maggie, c. 1983, LippincottRalph's Frozen Tale, c. 1991, Putnam
The Three Dots, c. 1993, Putnam
Plantpet, c. 1994, Putnam and Gosset Group.
Auntie Claus, c. 1999, Silver Whistle/Harcourt Brace.
Tatie Noël, c. 2001, Milan.
Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas, c. 2002, Silver Whistle/Harcourt.
The Secret Order of the Gumm Street Girls, c. 2006, Harper Collins
Fred and Anthony Escape from the Netherworld, (As Esile Arevamirp), c. 2007, Hyperion.
Fred and Anthony Meet the Super-de-Germ-O Zombie, (As Esile Arevamirp), c. 2007, Hyperion.
Fred & Anthony Meet the Heinie Goblins from the Black Lagoon, (As Esile Arevamirp), c. 2008, Hyperion.
Fred & Anthony's Horrible, Hideous Back-to-School Thriller, (As Esile Arevamirp)
As illustrator only
The Mermaid's Cape, by Margaret K. Wetterer, c. 1981, Atheneum.The Snug Little House, by Eils Moorehouse Lewis, c. 1981, Atheneum.
Surprise in the Mountains, by Natalie Savage Carlson, c. 1983, Harper & Row.
Uncle George Washington and Harriet's Guitar, by Miriam Anne Bourne, c. 1983, Coward McCann.
The Bollo Caper, by Art Buchwald
Art Buchwald
Arthur Buchwald was an American humorist best known for his long-running column in The Washington Post, which in turn was carried as a syndicated column in many other newspapers. His column focused on political satire and commentary...
, c. 1983, Putnam.
Grandma's House, by Elaine Moore, c. 1985, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books.
Make Way for Sam Houston, by Jean Fritz, c. 1986, Putnam.
Hobie Hanson, You're Weird, by Jamie Gilson
Jamie Gilson
Jamie Gilson is an American author of twenty children’s books. Explaining her approach to writing, Gilson says, “I watch what kids are doing and write stories based on what I see.”- Life:...
, c. 1987, Pocket Books.
Christina Katerina and the Time She Quit Her Family, by Patricia Lee Gaugh, c. 1987, Putnam.
Best Witches: Poems for Halloween, by Jane Yolen
Jane Yolen
Jane Hyatt Yolen is an American author and editor of almost 300 books. These include folklore, fantasy, science fiction, and children's books...
, c. 1988, Putnam.
Double Dog Dare, by Jamie Gilson
Jamie Gilson
Jamie Gilson is an American author of twenty children’s books. Explaining her approach to writing, Gilson says, “I watch what kids are doing and write stories based on what I see.”- Life:...
, c. 1988, Pocket Books.
Grandma's Promise, by Elaine Moore, c. 1988, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books.
Christina Katerina and the Great Bear Train, by Patricia Lee Gaugh, c. 1990, Putnam.
Moe the Dog in Tropical Paradise, by Diane Stanley, c. 1992, Putnam.
Santa and Alex, by Delis Ephron, c. 1993, Little Brown & Company.
Woe is Moe, by Diane Stanley, c. 1995, Putnam.
Jack, Skinny Bones, and the Golden Pancakes, by M.C. Helldorfer, c. 1996, Viking.
Wowo, the Radio Dog, by Kevin McCloskey, c. 1996, William Morrow & Company.
Moonlight Kite, by Helen Elizabeth Buckley, c. 1997, Lothrop Lee & Shepard Books.
Raising Dragons, by Jerdine Nolen, c. 1998, Silver Whistle.
Hewitt Anderson's Big Life, by Jerdine Nolen, c. 2001, Harcourt Children's Books.