Helakoski, Leslie

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Helakoski, Leslie

Personal

Born in LA; married; children: three. Education: University of Louisiana, B.A. (advertising design); Northern Michigan University, B.A. (media illustration).

Addresses

Home and office—Near Kalamazoo, MI. E-mail—Leslie@helakoskibooks.com.

Career

Author and illustrator. Worked previously in advertising.

Member

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

Awards, Honors

Volunteer State Book Award nominee, Tennessee Library Association, and Prairie Bud Book Award nominee, South Dakota Library Association, both for The Smushy Bus; Michigan Reads Picture Book, State of Michigan, 2007, for Big Chickens.

Writings

The Smushy Bus, illustrated by Sal Murdocca, Millbrook Press (Brookfield, CT), 2002.

Big Chickens, illustrated by Henry Cole, Dutton Children's Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Woolbur, illustrated by Lee Harper, HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2008.

Sidelights

As an author and graphic artist, Leslie Helakoski knows the importance of attaining a suitable balance between words and pictures. As she noted in an online interview with Kids Book Link, "pictures and words work together to make magic." Children's book authors and illustrators "can't just write—we have to paint pictures with our words," she added. "And we can't just paint—we have to tell the intricacies of the story." Helakoski is the author of the children's titles Big Chickens, a picture book illustrated by Henry Cole, and The Smushy Bus, a story featuring artwork by Sal Murdocca. In addition to including an element of humor in her stories for young readers, Helakoski feels that it is important to combine learning with fun, a philosophy that was instilled in her at a young age by her parents, both early childhood specialists. As she noted on her home page, "it's possible to say anything or tell any story, as long as you phrase it in a certain way."

A Kirkus Reviews critic praised Big Chickens as a frolicsome tale that includes "wordplay reminiscent of Margie Palatini at her best." In the story, four hens are frightened when they spot a wolf lurking around their henhouse and decide to escape to the woods in an attempt to hide from the wily predator. Once in the woods, however, the hens discover that there are more things to fear, including a group of grass-munching cows, a muddy puddle, and a lake. In Booklist Gillian

Engberg wrote that Helakoski's humorous text "bolsters the slim story with infectious repetition and rhyme," encouraging young children to chant along.

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, October 15, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Smushy Bus, p. 412; February 1, 2006, Gillian Engberg, review of Big Chickens, p. 55.

Kirkus Reviews, December 15, 2005, review of Big Chickens, p. 1322.

School Library Journal, November, 2002, Mary Elam, review of The Smushy Bus, p. 124; February, 2006, Lauralyn Persson, review of Big Chickens, p. 103.