Lee Harper

Start: 12/10/2011 1:00 pm

End: 12/10/2011 3:00 pm

Welcome back to the Clinton Book Shop

Children's Author/Illustrator

LEE HARPER

A little about Lee (in his own words)

Make sure to see all of Lee's titles by scrolling down.

Before I had the manual dexterity to draw I liked to entertain people with my Groucho Marx impersonation. Once I was old enough to control how a pencil makes marks on a piece of paper, I diverted my creative energy from Groucho impersonating to drawing.

I always loved to draw. When I was a second grader my best friend's dad used to bring home piles of manila paper from his work and we would spend hours just doodling. We drew crazy cars, monsters, fighting machines, goofy people...that kind of stuff. In the fifth grade I grew more sophisticated and had my first experience illustrating. I illustrated a book report on James Fenimore Cooper's THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS. Although it didn't quite come out as well as N.C. Wyeth's version, I was very proud when my teacher decided that it was of high enough artistic merit to be passed around for the entire class to see! That really inspired me.

Soon my love for doodling grew into a serious ambition to be an artist and after high school I attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. I learned all the basics about drawing and painting while I was there.

After college, life led me down many roads which didn't always involve being an artist. But somehow, my journey led me back to making art.

I am now a proud father of four wonderful children and four popular children’s books.

WOOLBUR, my first book; written by Leslie Helakoski is being read by children all over the world and is still going strong.

The second book I illustrated, TURKEY TROUBLE, by Wendi Silvano got off to a great start — it sold out of the first printing before even being released! It is still very popular — especially around Thanksgiving.

Also in October of 2009 SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! was released. I love all my books in different ways, but SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! holds a special place in my heart. It was my authorial debut, and is very autobiographical.

LOOKING FOR THE EASY LIFE by Walter Dean Myers was released earlier this year. Of all my books, I probably worked hardest on this one. It was a real honor to illustrate for Mr. Myers. So far it is getting great reviews.

My fifth book, just released, THE EMPEROR’s COOL CLOTHES.
It is an adaptation of The Emperor’s New Clothes that I adapted and illustrated.