Felicia Bond (born July 18, 1954 in

Yokohama, Japan is the second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a population of 3.7 million in 2023. It lies on Tokyo B ...

) is an American writer and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

of numerous books for children. She is the illustrator of all the ''If You Give...'' series written by Laura Numeroff and published by

HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...

Children's Books.

Early life

Bond was born to American parents in

, where she lived for two years. She grew up in

Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the Adminis ...

and

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, Texas with her four brothers and two sisters. At age five she observed a beam of light coming in her bedroom window and knew that art was her calling. She cites numerous inspirations as a child, among them the covers of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', the drawings in her '' Girl Scout Handbook'', the sketches her mother drew for her and her siblings, and the art in children's books. She was especially drawn to the painterly, expressive style of

Ludwig Bemelmans Ludwig Bemelmans (April 27, 1898 – October 1, 1962) was an Austrian and American writer and illustrator of children's books and adult novels. He is known best for the ''Madeline'' picture books. Six were published, the first in 1939. Early li ...

in his ''

Madeline ''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series and a live action feature fi ...

'' books, and the sensitive ink drawings by

Garth Williams Garth Montgomery Williams (April 16, 1912 – May 8, 1996) was an American artist who came to prominence in the American Post-war, postwar era as an illustrator of children's books. Many of the books he illustrated have become classics of Americ ...

in ''

Charlotte's Web ''Charlotte's Web'' is a book of children's literature by American author E. B. White and illustrated by Garth Williams. It was published on October 15, 1952, by Harper & Brothers. It tells the story of a livestock pig named Wilbur and his frie ...

'' and ''

Stuart Little ''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and became recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the artist Garth Williams, also his f ...

''. For many years she closely examined the work of

Charles Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz ( ; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist, the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'' which features his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is widely regarded as ...

, renowned for his ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...

'' comic strip, and credits him as making a lasting impression on her.

Education

Bond took a B.F.A. in painting from The University of Texas, Austin, with continuing studies at

The School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by Sil ...

, New York City.

Career

At age twenty-two Bond moved to New York City with nine hundred dollars and worked several jobs, including illustrating botanical books, working as a freelance scene painter in a children's museum, and as an art director for Margaret K. McElderry Books. During this time she took classes at The School of Visual Arts and put together a portfolio of work intended for children's books. She was offered five contracts in short order and left behind her original idea of pursuing her painting. By the time she was twenty-six the first book she both wrote and illustrated, ''Poinsettia and Her Family'', had been published. Four more books of her own quickly followed before she illustrated ''If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'' in 1985. Bond has also illustrated, among other works, ''Big Red Barn'', written by

Margaret Wise Brown Margaret Wise Brown (May 23, 1910 – November 13, 1952) was an American writer of children's books, including ''Goodnight Moon'' (1947) and ''The Runaway Bunny'' (1942), both illustrated by Clement Hurd. She has been called "the laureate of the ...

, ''The Big Green Pocketbook'', written by Candice Ransom, ''Little Porcupine's Christmas'', written by Joseph Slate and ''The Right Number of Elephants'',''School of Library Journal'' review - ''The Right Number of Elephants'' November, 1990 written by Jeff Sheppard. She is both author and illustrator of numerous other works, including ''Poinsettia and her Family,'' ''Poinsettia and the Firefighters'', ''The Day It Rained Hearts'', ''The Halloween Play'', ''Tumble Bumble'', and ''Big Hugs, Little Hugs.'' ''If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'', the first collaborative work written by Laura Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, quickly became established as a popular favorite and is today considered a contemporary classic. A series of seventeen titles followed, with sales exceeding fifty million. They have been translated into more than thirteen languages. The ''If You Give...'' series has garnered numerous awards, and their popularity is witnessed by their consistent presence on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller List. Many of the books were the #1 best-sellers in the picture book category. The ''If You Give''... books have become so embedded in our culture that ''If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'' was mentioned in the movie '' Airforce One'', on the television show ''The L Word'' and in ''

Mad Magazine ''Mad'' (stylized in all caps) is an American humor magazine which was launched in 1952 and currently published by DC Comics, a unit of the DC Entertainment subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. ''Mad'' was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman an ...

''. Charles Schulz created two ''Peanuts'' strips about ''If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'', and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

chose ''If You Give a Pig a Pancake'' as one of her favorite things in 2000. She also included it on her list ''Oprah’s Favorite Things from A-Z'' in that same year as well. ''If You Give a Moose a Muffin'' was the answer to a question on ''

Jeopardy! ''Jeopardy!'' is an American television game show created by Merv Griffin. The show is a quiz competition that reverses the traditional question-and-answer format of many quiz shows. Rather than being given questions, contestants are instead g ...

''. The books have been adapted into plays for children's theaters across the country, The Bronx Zoo in New York featured the art in their Children's Zoo for one year and the artwork has been used to create murals in the wings of children's hospitals. The series has fans of all ages from all over the world including Japan, where an entire Tokyo city bus was painted with images of Mouse. Mouse also made it to the White House; in Laura Bush's Celebration of American Authors at the 2001 Presidential Inauguration Felicia Bond and Laura Numeroff were among those honored for their ''If You Give...'' series, and the former First Lady writes that the Bush family cat India's favorite book was ''If You Take a Mouse to the Movies''. A bronze sculpture of her sleeping on the book is included in the George W. Bush Presidential Library. First Lady Michelle Obama read ''If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'' on the White House lawn during the 2009 Easter Egg Roll. The website mousecookiebooks.com, posted by its publisher,

, is an interactive site for children, parents, teachers, and librarians alike.

Style, content and process

In her illustrations Bond's signature style is characterized by rich, vibrant watercolor, often with a black line used for graphic effect. Her use of white space is often similarly applied, especially in her distinctive design of the books in the ''If You Give''... series. Her book ''Big Hugs, Little Hugs'' uses mixed media collage, which reflects her painting style from her early twenties. She personalizes many of her illustrations by discreetly writing the names of family, friends, and pets in the art. She has said she started doing this years ago, inspired by the cross-hatched ink artwork in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' by

Al Hirschfeld Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist best known for his black and white portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. Early life and career Al Hirschfeld was born in 1903 in a two-story duplex apa ...

, who hid his daughter's name, Nina, at least once in almost every drawing. Bond's writing style varies in content but is often narrative and character based. ''Poinsettia and Her Family'' and ''Poinsettia and the Firefighters'' came about from her own childhood. Other stories began as an aimless doodle, such as the whimsical ''The Day It Rained Hearts'' and the playful ''Tumble Bumble''. Her book ''Big Hugs, Little Hugs'' is more conceptual in nature and evolved from a dream that she merged with a comforting story her father told her when she was a child and couldn't fall asleep. In interviews she has said her ideas come from an "impulsive and intuitive place", that she "lives a story" instead of tells it. She works to keep the "mysterious third thing" alive in a book while she hones the narrative arc and pacing of the words and design. She often compares the making of a book to cooking, a musical score, or a dance.

Books

Written and illustrated

*''Poinsettia and Her Family'' (T.Y.Crowell/HarperCollins, 1981) * ''Mary Betty Lizzie McNutt's Birthday'' (T.Y. Crowell, 1983) * ''The Day It Rained Hearts'' (T.Y. Crowell/HarperCollins, 1983) * ''The Halloween Play'' (T.Y. Crowell/HarperCollins, 1983) * ''The Chicks' Christmas'' (T.Y. Crowell, 1983) * ''Poinsettia and the Firefighters'' (T.Y. Crowell/HarperCollins, 1984) * ''Wake Up, Vladimir'' (T.Y. Crowell, 1987) * ''Tumble Bumble'' (Front Street Books, 1996) * ''Big Hugs, Little Hugs'' (Philomel Books, 2012)

Illustrated (selected)

* ''Little Porcupine's Christmas'', written b
Joseph Slate
(T.Y. Crowell/HarperCollins, 1992) * ''The Big Green Pocketbook'', written by Candice Ransom (HarperCollins, 1993) * ''Big Red Barn'', written by

(HarperCollins, 1989) * ''The Right Number of Elephants'', written by Jeff Sheppard (HarperCollins, 1990)

Illustrator, ''If You Give...'' (series)

: written by Laura Numeroff;

Children's Books, 1985 onward * ''

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie ''If You Give a Mouse a Cookie'' is an American children's picture book written by Laura Joffe Numeroff and illustrated by Felicia Bond, first published in 1985 by Harper and Row. Described as a "circular tale", illustrating a slippery slope, ...

'' (1985) * ''If You Give a Moose a Muffin'' (1991) * ''If You Give a Pig a Pancake'' (1998) * ''The Best Mouse Cookie'' (1999) * ''If You Take a Mouse to the Movies'' (2000) * ''If You Take a Mouse to School'' (2002) * ''If You Give a Pig a Party'' (2005) * ''Merry Christmas, Mouse!'' (2007) * ''Time for School, Mouse!'' (2008) * ''If You Give a Cat a Cupcake'' (2008) * ''Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!'' (2009) * ''Happy Easter, Mouse!'' (2010) * ''If You Give a Dog a Donut'' (2011) * ''It's Pumpkin Day, Mouse!'' (2012) * ''Happy Birthday, Mouse!'' (2012) * ''If You Give a Mouse a Brownie'' (2016)

Compilation Editions ''If You Give...'' Series

* ''Mouse Cookies and More'' (2007) * ''If You Take a Mouse to the Movies, A Special Christmas Edition'' (2010)

Awards and recognitions

''If You Give...'' Series

*Honoree, Laura Bush Celebrates American Authors, 2001 Presidential Inauguration

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

* Alabama Children's Choice Book Award, K–1 (1986–87) *

California Young Reader Medal The California Young Reader Medal is a set of five annual literary awards conferred upon picture books A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily ...

(1988) * Colorado Children's’ Book Award (1988) * Georgia Children's Picture Story Book Award (1988) * Nevada Young Readers’ Award (1988–89) * Buckeye Children's Book Award, K–2 (Ohio) (1989) * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award (1994) * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award (1994) * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Blue Chip Classic Award (1994) * NEA Teacher's Picks Books to Read Across America (1999) If You Give A Moose A Muffin * Children's Choices (IRA/CBC) (1992) * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award (1998) * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award (1998) If You Give A Pig A Pancake * Oppenheim Platinum Award (1999) * IRA Children's Choice (1999) *

named ''If You Give a Pig a Pancake'' her “favorite book for children” *Listed on Oprah Winfrey'
“Oprah’s Favorite Things from A-Z”
If You Take A Mouse To The Movies * NAPPA Gold Award (2000) * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award (2001) * IRA/CBC Children's Choice (2001) If You Take A Mouse To School * Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award (2003) If You Give A Pig A Party *

Quill Award The Quill Award was an American literary award that ran for three years, from 2005 to 2007. It was a "consumer-driven award created to inspire reading while promoting literacy". The Quills Foundation, the organization behind the award, was supp ...

(2006)

References

External links

Discover stories
mousecookiebooks.com HarperCollins interactive website for If You books * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bond, Felicia 1954 births Living people American children's writers American women children's book illustrators People from Bronxville, New York University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts alumni American children's book illustrators American women children's writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Writers who illustrated their own writing