Does David LaRochelle ever get tired of making books for young people? No! He can’t think of a better profession in the world! He is the author of Isle of You, illustrated by Jaime Kim, as well as How to Apologize, Go and Get with Rex, and the See the Cat series, all illustrated by his good friend Mike Wohnoutka. Does he live in a houseboat on the Mississippi River? No! A tree house in Australia? No! A tiny space station on Jupiter? No! He lives in a condominium in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Is Mike Wohnoutka an All-Pro linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys? No! He’s an award-winning author and illustrator from Minneapolis. He has illustrated more than thirty books for young readers, including How to Apologize, Go and Get with Rex, and the Geisel Award–winning See the Cat and its sequels, all written by his good friend David LaRochelle. He is also the author and illustrator of Ups and Downs: A Book of Emotions, and other picture books. Does he enjoy golfing in the snow? No! Swimming with alligators? No! Wrestling tigers? No! But he does love playing tennis with his family.
I’ve always loved making things. Construction paper, scissors, and crayons were my favorite toys growing up. My neighbor LuAnn and I made Christmas decorations all summer long and performed paper bag puppet shows for our family and friends in our backyards. In college I studied art and English, but when I was turned down for a job as an illustrator by Hallmark cards, I decided to become an elementary-school teacher instead. I loved being a teacher, especially reading to my students, inventing games to play in class, and thinking of fun writing and drawing projects, but I knew that someday I wanted to create books for kids…and that’s exactly what happened.
My first book, A Christmas Guest, was published in 1988. Since then I’ve had more than thirty books published, including Isle of You, How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans, and Moo!, a story using only one word (well, maybe two). One of the best things about being an author is that I get to visit schools across the country, and even around the world. I talk to kids about books, writing, and drawing — all the fun parts of being a teacher without having to correct homework or fill out report cards.
Three Things You Might Not Know about Me:
I love carving pumpkins. I’ve even been on national television with my jack-o’-lanterns. You can view some of my pumpkin creations at www.davidlarochelle.com.
I love entering contests. The first prize I ever won was a transistor radio in a coloring contest when I was six. After I won a seven-minute grocery shopping spree when I was fourteen, I was hooked. Several of my books, including my first book, were originally written for contests.
I love playing games. My current favorite is Dominion, but I also like Ticket to Ride, Carcassonne, Boggle, and many, many more.
