My Idol, Ellen Raskin

Ellen Raskin, Author and Illustrator

One of the fun things about pursuing an interest is that you begin to see affinities that you weren't previously aware of. Case in point: My favorite book growing up was The Westing Game (okay, sometimes I might say it was the Beginning Place, but it depended on the day) by Ellen Raskin. For those of you who have never read it, get it. Get it now. It holds up on every level, for kids and adults. This book is what the industry would probably call a "young reader or young adult" novel meaning it is for middle-school age kids or thereabouts. I have read it at least 5 times in my life, twice or more as an adult. I also went on to read her other novels, including The Tattooed Potato and Other Clues, The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel), and Figgs and Phantoms.




Now, rewind to 1974, when one of my earliest memories occurs: my parents reading me Moose, Goose and Little Nobody (illustration above), a Parents' Magazine Press book. The illustrations remained imprinted on my brain until my thirties, when I began re-collecting all the old books from my childhood in anticipation of sharing them with my own child. One of the first books I tried to find and buy was Moose, Goose and Little Nobody. When it finally arrived through the mail, I opened the envelope to discover it was written and illustrated by, you guessed it, Ellen Raskin. To that point, I had had no inkling that the novelist I'd admired was also one of the illustrators I had most loved as a child. Since then, I've been trying to acquire all of her other works as well. (Cover art for Who, Said Sue, Said Whoo?, another children's picture book, below.)



One of the things I like about her illustrations is the bold use of color. She doesn't settle for boring old primary colors, either. She doesn't worry about realistic shading, either. Plus, I like her flat perspective and pen and ink outlines. (Hmm, am I sounding like a broken record here?)

Raskin is so funny and quirky, I feel like I want her to be my best friend. Sadly, she died in the 80s. Here is an excellent website about Ellen Raskin. She said her inspirations were: Blake, Conrad, Hawthorne, James, Nabokov, Piero della Francesca, Calude Lorrain, Gaugin, Matisse, Fantasia, Oriental art, baseball, hockey, zoos, medicine, and Spain. What a hoot--she is my hero.