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MEET MICHAEL ELSOHN ROSS
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do as a child?

Michael Elsohn Ross

I loved to draw pictures and explore the woods near my home.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

I loved the Babar books and spent hours looking at the cartoons in New Yorker magazine. I especially loved the work of James Thurber, William Steig, and Charles Adams (the creator of the Adam’s Family).

Did you write stories when you were growing up? at school? Or at home as a hobby? As a young child, or as a teenager, or both?

 At first I drew cartoons. Then in Jr. High I began to write stories and poetry. I took a creative writing class in high school which I very much enjoyed and kept journals in which I wrote poems, stories, ideas and snippets of other writer’s work.

 When you were a child did you ever have moments when you decided that you were going to be a writer when you grew up?

 At about age 10 I started drawing my own cartoons and thought it would be great fun to be a cartoonist when I grew up. My Aunt, who was an artist, gave me a book on the history of cartooning and Milton Caniff, the creator of the popular Steve Canyon strip, signed it. I still have that book in my library.

When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career? (or a career in illustrating? or just art in general?)

I took two creative writing classes and worked on a special project with some friends developing a self-guiding nature brochure. I was responsible for the illustrations. I had no intention of following a career in art or writing at this point.

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

My first job after graduating was teaching environmental education for school groups that came to Yosemite National Park. Later I had a job presenting environmental education activities rural schools to the west of the park. In my second school year of doing these programs I saw the need to create books that clearly explained the concepts of cycles and energy. I proposed these books to the non-profit organization that was sponsoring my program and they loved the idea. I wrote and illustrated CYCLES, CYCLES, CYCLES, and WHAT MAKES EVERYTHING GO? and both were published in 1979. (four years after I graduated).

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

Next I was asked to write part of the MONO LAKE COLOR AND LEARN BOOK for the Mono Lake Committee. I published my next 2 books with the Yosemite Association by simply presenting my ideas to them. They also asked me to illustrate a hiking guide called EASY DAY HIKES in Yosemite. I had a lot of fun drawing park animals dressed as tourists. In 1990 I sent some of my manuscripts other publishers and had at least 4 rejected before Millbrook Press agreed to publish BECOME A BIRD AND FLY (with illustrations by Caldecott Honor illustrator Peter Parnall). I learned a lot about working with an illustrator It was also very different working with Jean Reynolds who was a very experienced editor. This book opened doors with Carolrhoda Books.

How soon after that was your first book published?

In my second year of the grant I started working closely with teachers on special projects and studies. I had looked for kid’s books about basic topics such as cycles and energy but found that none had been written. One of the teachers suggested I write books about these topics. I had created cartoons for the Yosemite Guide (a paper for park visitors) and illustrated a booklet for a self-guiding trail. The Yosemite Association funded both projects. I asked my boss at the Association, who was also in charge of their publishing program, if he was interested in kids books on cycles and energy. He loved the idea and since he was a fan of my art he agreed to publish the books after seeing only a few sketches and some very rough drafts of my writing. I got to work immediately and before the end of 1979 both books, CYCLE, CYCLES, CYCLES and WHAT MAKES EVERYTHING GO? were in print. They stayed in print for over 25 years and sold all over the country and overseas.

What are the topics are some of your books?

In the 90’s I wrote two more books for the Yosemite- THE HAPPY CAMPER HANDBOOK and THE WORLD OF SMALL- EXPLORATIONS WITH A HAND LENS. The camping book comes with a flashlight and rescue whistle and the World of Small with a magnifying lens. I then started writing some series for Carolrhoda Books. The Backyard Buddies Series includes 8 books on insects and other invertebrates. My first title was ROLYPOLYOLOGY. These books include real kid questions and examples of how some of them got answers by setting up their own experiments. I worked with students, including my son Nick, at the little elementary school in our town. My friend, Brian Grogan, snapped photos of the kids, experiments, and critters. My next series was 8 biographies of different men and women who explored the natural world. Each book in the Naturalist Apprentice series includes activities that replicate those of each naturalist. These books required a lot of research. I also wrote three books for Carolrhoda’s World’s Children series. I traveled to Ireland and Northern Ireland, and Puerto Rico with my photographer friend, Felix Rigau. I arranged to meet kids and families and interviewed them. Felix took lots of photos of people and places. At the end of the 90’s I also completed my You are the Scientist series and my Cycles series. In 2000 I went to Mexico with Nick to write a book about Christmas fiesta. Felix Rigau took the photos. A MEXICAN CHRISTMAs was a lot of work, but we met some wonderful families, including a family of artists that we are still friends with.

Do you focus on fiction or nonfiction? Which do you prefer? Do you find one easier than the other?

My focus has been mostly non-fiction or fiction with non-fiction topics. BECOME A BIRD AND FLY is about bird flight. My bedtime book, Snug as a Bug is about where bugs might go to sleep. My newest book, BABY BEAR ISN’T HUNGRY, is a story about a baby bear in Yosemite. Everything that happens in the story could really happen to a bear cub. My next book MAMA’S MILK is a bedtime book, but the topic is nursing baby mammals, including humans.

Where do you get your ideas?

Ideas come from all sorts of places and at all times. The idea for SNUG AS A BUG came from me day dreaming about the saying, “sleep snug a as a bug in a rug.” The character in BABY BEAR ISN’T HUNGRY is based on my grand niece Emily. The kids in WHAT’S THE MATTER IN MR. WHISKER’S ROOM? are based on many kids I’ve watched in kindergarten and first grade classes over the years. Sometimes I get ideas from drawing and the drawings suggest a story. My notebooks are full of new ideas and right now I’m playing around with the text for about 5 new books. I keep my notebook or paper with me at all times, because I never know when an idea for a whole book or a part of a book will pop into my head. I write my ideas down as soon as I can so I won’t lose them. Just today I wrote down some ideas for one of these books while I was hiking along the Yosemite Falls trail. Nature is a great inspiration and I take walks everyday to keep in shape both physically and creatively.