Aliki grew up in Philadelphia in a very Greek family. Her
talent for drawing, first recognized by her kindergarten teacher,
was encouraged by her parents and other teachers she will never
forget.After graduating from the Philadelphia College of Art, she
started a career in advertising art. She married Franz Brandenberg
and lived in Switzerland for three years, where she wrote and
illustrated her first book, The Story of William Tell.
After they moved to New York, she wrote My Five Senses, the book
that changed her career and her life. Besides her own books, Aliki
has illustrated many by other authors, including Franz. Their
children, Jason and Alexa, who have artistic careers of their own,
appear in many of Aliki''s books as cats, mice, or themselves.
Aliki loves music, theater, films, museums, reading, and digging
in her garden in London, where she lives. She travels frequently to
the United States, Greece, Switzerland, and other countries, many
of which are reflected in her books.
NOTES FROM ALIKI0nce, when
I was reading one of my books to Jason, who was just learning
words, I asked him, "What is my name?" He said, "Byaliki." I
laughed. But in many ways I am a bi-Aliki. Greek and American.
Bilingual. Author and illustrator. Writer of fiction and
nonfiction-books that come from inside out feeling books, and
outside in research books.
I had no thought of becoming a writer until it happened. But
early on, I developed a lifelong habit of writing down my feelings.
I realized it helped me understand my hurt, anger, bewilderment, or
happiness. Words flowed out into poetry, letters, and journals. It
was practice for later on.
I wrote The Two of Them when my father died. I wrote We Are Best
Friends when we moved from New York to London. I wrote about my
childhood seaside vacations in Those Summers. In fact, it was on
one such family vacation that I was born unexpectedly in Wildwood
Crest, New Jersey -- but we never lived there!
Marianthe''s Story, two books in one volume, is very much my own.
In one of its two parts -- Painted Words -- Mari is lucky to have
such an understanding teacher and the ability to express herself
through pictures as was 1. In Spoken Memories, the villagers are
composites of family and friends, and the voice is often my
grandmother''s. She cared passionately about education and passed it
on to us.
All by Myself! -- snapped after watching my nephew Peter, who was
just learning to dress himself. We can take nothing for granted.
All skills -- from the simplest to the most complicated -- are
learned. They take patience, perseverance, and determination. With
some, a little talent helps. Life is one big challenge. I''m still
trying to learn to swim.
My research books come from a fascination with a subject I know
only a glimmer about. It can take three years to read, delve, dig,
write, and repeat the process for the illustrations. It can be
torture, because Virgos don''t like to make mistakes.
To write My Visit to the Aquarium, I visited eleven aquariums --
the most fun research ever. But then I had to get the right fish
into the right tank. My Visit to the Zoo was even harder. Nine
zoos, hundreds of books, magazines, and related matter. And with
all due respect to the author, the illustrator has twice the work.
I call it hard fun.
All books -- read or made -- change lives. None more than William
Shakespeare the Globe. I was challenged by wanting to
compress 40.0 years into 38 pages, to tell in words and pictures
a story that comes full circle. It didn''t help that we know very
little about Shakespeare the man. But I was enveloped by his words
-- which brought him to life. When I finally finished, the pain of
loss -- which lasted months -- was like parting from a beloved
friend.
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