• Skip to main content
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink

A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink

Simple Living, Homeschooling, Faith, Homemaking, & Books

  • Start Here
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Easy-To-Use Category Page
    • Books
      • Book Lists
      • A Month of Cozy Children’s Books
      • Picture Books for Children
      • Chapter Books for Children
    • Christian Devotionals
      • Morning Hope
      • Eventide Blessing
      • Streams in the Desert
    • Christian Faith
      • Prayer
      • Marriage
    • Current Events
      • Sallie’s Stack of Stuff
      • Grand Solar Minimum
    • Faithful Living In Difficult Times
    • Favorite Comfort Food Recipes
    • Free Printables
      • Free Homemaking Printables
      • Free Learning Printables & Worksheets
    • Gardening and Foraging
      • Foraging & Mushrooms
      • Intensive Regenerative Gardening
        • Building Soil
        • Food Storage
    • Gifted & 2e
      • Raising Gifted Children in the Christian Faith
      • Gifted/2e Parenting
      • Gifted/2e Homeschooling
    • Gracious Christian Parenting
    • Health
    • Holidays & Traditions
    • Home Business
    • Homemaking
    • Homeschooling
      • Relaxed Homeschooling
      • Homeschooling a Creative Child
      • Our Homeschool Curriculum Choices
      • Homeschool Mom Life
      • Homeschool Planning
      • Homeschool Relationships
      • Homeschool Curriculum Reviews
      • Right Brained Learners
      • Homeschooling High School
      • Homeschooling Middle School
      • Homeschooling Preschoolers
      • Homeschool Rooms
    • Introverts
    • Learning With Themes
    • Money
    • Our Simple Family Life
      • Only Child
      • Pregnancy & Baby
    • The Prudent & Prepared Homemaker
    • Restoring America
      • The Fourth Turning & The First Turning
    • Simple Living
    • Simple Living This Week
  • Tags
  • The Shop
    • A Full Year Shopping Pass
    • Explore The Shop By Category
    • Digital Products Terms of Use
    • Your Account Details
      • View Your Orders
      • Go To Your Downloads
    • Lost Password Help
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Social Media
  • Forum
  • Donate
  • My Recommendations

An Interview With Monica Wellington

You are here: Home / Books / Picture Books for Children / An Interview With Monica Wellington

Post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure statement.

August 20, 2013 by Sallie Borrink
7 Comments

A number of years ago when Caroline was just a baby, I happened across Apple Farmer Annie at a bookstore in Traverse City, Michigan. I instantly loved it! I loved the story, the graphics, and just how cozy it was. I’ve since read a number of Monica Wellington’s books and have enjoyed them all.

So imagine how delighted I was to receive an email a few weeks ago from Monica Wellington asking me if I would be interested in doing a review of her new book Colors for Zena. Of course I would! So today we have an interview with Monica and three of her books to give away to three lucky readers!




Colors for Zena is the story of a little girl who discovers how different colors come together to make new colors. Throughout the book her world is impacted by the colors. This is a wonderful book for parents, primary teachers, and art teachers who are introducing primary colors and how those colors comes together to make new colors.

And now on to the interview!

Welcome, Monica!  It is great to be able to share your beautiful work with my readers!

Colors for Zena Cover

What led to the writing of “Colors for Zena?”

It is hard to say where a book begins – probably in some way from my own childhood. But this book, at least partly, came from color games my daughter and I played when she was little. Walking down the street in the busy city, we would pick out everything that we saw that was red, and then yellow, and so on. Was that blue or was that purple, we would ask? What is our favorite color today? … Then back at home she loved discovering for herself how colors worked – there was always an abundance of paint!




At the end of Zena there is a color wheel and suggestions of some fun things to do with color. I hope readers will be inspired to be creative and paint colorful pictures themselves!

Who inspires you as a writer?  An artist?

Just the other day I was at a library book sale where I found some old classics by Roger Duvoisin, Robert McCloskey, and Barbara Cooney. These are some of the artists who continually inspire me in children’s books.

You have a very unique illustration style. Who or what was influential in developing that style?

Some people can draw and paint with such fine technique and I’m quite in awe of that! I’m not really a versatile artist myself, but on the other hand I guess I have my own particular style! When I went to art school I focused on ceramics – I wanted to be a potter. It took me some time on my own after college to figure out my true passions. I loved drawing and painting when I was a child. When I was young we lived in Switzerland and I have very distinct memories of how much I loved to draw then. I think I picked up where I left off about 20 years later! Everything fell into place when I had the good luck to discover the field of children’s books.

Apple Farmer Annie

How can parents best encourage their artistically-inclined children?

I think the best thing is to simply provide plenty of good art materials, readily available all the time. And I think it is great to always carry a notebook and color pencils for spontaneous projects when you are out and about.

Do you have a personal favorite from your own books? Why is it your favorite?

Probably Crepes by Suzette – my homage to Paris. It was published a while ago, it went out-of-print and people often contact me looking for copies. “Suzette” is special to me because I now have the chance to work on it again: I’m bringing it back to life as an app, a digital book. The illustrations that I originally made for the book were mixed media collages of photos and all sorts of things I had collected from France. It has been so much fun expanding the concept of collage and adding a lot of new content. I went to Paris and collected sounds, voices, and music with my digital recorder and I have learnt new skills as a sound editor. There will be narrations in many languages, including French. There will be short videos, showing Paris and crepe making. All Suzette’s customers are out of famous French paintings and I have been able to add much more about that in the app as well. Hopefully the project will be ready soon!

Crepes by Suzette

 

Who would be in your Top 5 must study artists for young children and why?

I would say, let your children lead the way to the artists that appeal to them. If you possibly can, bring them to museums and follow them. Pull out those notebooks and color pencils and encourage them to draw in front of their favorite paintings.




Some of my favorite artists are represented in Crepes by Suzette by her customers: Matisse, Chagall, Van Gogh, Seurat, Picasso – you could also begin there.

Is there anything else you would like to share with the parents and teachers reading here?

Writing and illustrating is very solitary. My studio space is at home in my apartment in New York City. I work with music and my two cats for company. Even after 25 years of doing this, I am still amazed at how lucky I am that my books go out into the world to children. Sometimes I hear directly from families who are reading my books and I love that! Thank you!

See all of Monica’s books here!

    
Category: Picture Books for Children

Recommended For You

Little Bear's Trousers - A Month of Cozy Books 2

Little Bear’s Trousers {A Month of Cozy Children’s Books}

Antler Bear Canoe - A Month of Cozy Books 2

Antler, Bear, Canoe {A Month of Cozy Children’s Books}

One Red Apple - A Month of Cozy Books 2

One Red Apple {A Month of Cozy Children’s Books}

Eloise Wilkin Stories - A Month of Cozy Books 2

Eloise Wilkin Stories {A Month of Cozy Children’s Books}

 

Spreading Traditional Goodness, Beauty, Truth, and Hope

Please click here to donate. Thank you! ♥

Previous Post: « Our Homeschool Learning Room For Second Grade
Next Post: Should Elementary Students Formally Study Mathematics? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lori

    August 20, 2013 at 10:04 pm

    Tart and crunchy!

    Reply
  2. Lori

    August 20, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    My favorite color is blue.

    Reply
  3. Najda

    August 20, 2013 at 10:29 pm

    My favorite color is green. Thanks for a great giveaway!

    Reply
  4. edna

    August 20, 2013 at 11:17 pm

    my favorit color is purple.

    Reply
  5. edna

    August 20, 2013 at 11:18 pm

    I prefer sweet apples.

    Reply
  6. Kelly Brown

    August 21, 2013 at 6:03 am

    Pink is my favorite color!

    Reply
  7. Carrie

    August 23, 2013 at 1:49 pm

    Green!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Thank you for your comment. I read and appreciate each one even if I am unable to respond.

Sidebar

Welcome! I’m Sallie, Christian wife, mother, homebody, relaxed homeschooler, autodidact, truth seeker, and digital soldier. Traditional and conservative both theologically and politically. I value freedom to live quiet and simple lives. I don't apologize for being white. Please start here. ♥

Chit Chat

~ Forum thread covering ROE V. WADE ruling by SCOTUS

~ I can't believe I missed the white supremacy/privilege angle. READ THIS: The Assault on Children’s Psyches - California’s ethnic-studies curriculum is fueling a mental-health crisis among teenagers.

~ I'm trying out a daily "Sallie's Stack" thread in the Forum, right at the top.

~ In the process of setting up ads with a new company (Ezoic). I'm aware there are a LOT OF ADS right now. I appreciate your patience while we get it set up. If you turn off your adblocker on my site, I will truly appreciate it. ♥

~ Thank you second quarter donors! ♥ ED, AC, BO (x2), AC (x3), DH (Initials only for privacy)

~ Did you put on the Armor of God this morning? Ephesians 6:10-20

Popular Posts Today

  • Forum (Read-Only)
  • What Was In The Envelopes At President Bush’s Funeral?
  • Home Page
  • Recommended Video: “Take Your Children Out Of School” – Psychiatrist Dr.…
  • Simple Living This Week No. 87
  • The Ginghams Paper Dolls (Free!)
  • Understanding Eosinophilic Esophagitis and Resources
  • The Ultimate List of AIP Comfort Food Recipes
  • Raising Gifted Children In The Christian Faith
  • Why We’re Relaxed Homeschoolers (and Not Unschoolers)
  • Recommended Video – “Ghosts In The Machine” From 4th PSYOP Group (Army)
  • Clear It Out Challenge – Free Printables
  • Stocking Our Homeschool Arts and Craft Cabinet
  • Copywork Printables in Print & Cursive
  • Classical Conversations Negatives And Why We Didn’t Join
  • Let’s Learn About Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks
  • Online Art Classes For Beginners

Categories

In Your Cart

Popular Today – My Shop

  • A Quiet Simple Life Planner & Guidebook (January 2021 – December 2022)
  • Butterfly Fun Facts Cards
  • Fact or Opinion Activity – Independence Day
  • Thanksgiving Copywork – Print & Cursive
  • Winter Word Search Puzzles
  • Spring Word Search Puzzles
  • Fourth of July Acrostic Worksheet
  • Short and Long Vowel Sounds Activity – Picnic
  • Sentence Scramble Activity – Picnic

Recent Comments

  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 22, 2022 (They Are Doing This On Purpose)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – May 18, 2022 (The Great Replacement Theory)
  • Brenda Nuland on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 22, 2022 (They Are Doing This On Purpose)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 22, 2022 (They Are Doing This On Purpose)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – May 18, 2022 (The Great Replacement Theory)
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 20, 2022
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 20, 2022
  • Barbara on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – June 20, 2022
  • Sallie Borrink on Sallie’s Stack of Stuff – May 18, 2022 (The Great Replacement Theory)
  • Delilah on Classical Conversations Negatives And Why We Didn’t Join

New Post Alerts

Get new posts by email

Powered by follow.it

 

Access Everything

Contact Me • Privacy Policy • Disclaimers & Affiliates

Copyright © 2022 · A Quiet Simple Life with Sallie Borrink · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

Scroll Up