Ellen Bari
Ellen Bari has created award-winning museum exhibits and programs for clients including The Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Sesame Workshop, PBS, Nickelodeon and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Ellen, a fluent Hebrew speaker, lived in Israel and enjoys writing about a variety of Jewish topics. She lives in New York.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
What’s your favorite line from a book?
From George & Martha Encore: “The next day Martha had a terrible sunburn. She felt hot and itchy. But George never said ’I told you so.’ Because that’s not what friends are for.“
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Patricia Polacco, James Marshal, Roz Chast, Jon Scieszka
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
Children’s books are magic. In 32 pages, an entire universe is created…and they’re often enjoyed while sharing with someone. After years of producing interactive multimedia, with its large production teams, complicated process and individual use, I wanted to create something for kids, that was simple to produce (relatively) and savored in that very special way.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Just write (0r draw). Don’t edit along the way- not your thoughts, your grammar, your punctuation or your words. Don’t worry about how it will turn out. Just enjoy the process.