The Lion and the Little Red Bird [Paperback]

From an author whose work is said to “burgeon with joy,” here is a gentle mystery about a silent, gallant lion and a sweetly cheerful bird—two friends who are attracted to each other through the universal language of art. Elisa uses watercolor, gouache, ink, colored pencils, pastels, markers, and  crayons to collage this charming and colorful tale.

“Illustrated with mixed-media collages so richly colored and textured that readers will want to feel the pages.”—Kirkus Reviews(pointered review)
 
“A sweet and captivating book with gorgeous illustrations. Its story line and artwork both have unusual and unexpected qualities that work together to generate a magical, light mood.”—School Library Journal(starred review)
 
ABA-CBC Children’s Books Mean Business and Kansas State Reading CircleI write and illustrate picture books because I've never outgrown a deep childhood urge to enter a magical world. As a child growing up in Los Angeles, I used to wish that my huge, congested city were more like the places in the books that I loved - places where forests grew and seasons changed, where animals talked and anything was possible. I envied those characters who slid down rabbit holes, or visited with Charlotte and Wilbur, or flew with Peter Pan, or floated with Mary Poppins, or journeyed to Oz.

Since I couldn't actually visit these wonderful worlds (except, of course, by reading), I made little imaginary worlds of my own, using the materials at hand. My favorite project was an enormous dollhouse in my closet. The house was filled both with store-bought toys, and with dolls and creatures which I made myself, from paper, cloth and clay. I'd lose myself for hours making up stories about these characters. I loved to make them treasures from scraps of this and that: a paper doily would become a lace tablecloth; half a walnut-shell would be a baby's cozy cradle; a postló,