Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is happy to shine our Friday spotlight on children’s book author/illustrator Lalena Fisher. Lalena, how would you like us to introduce you?
I’m Lalena Fisher, an author-illustrator, graphic designer, and musician. I have designed for the animated TV shows Blue’s Clues and The Wonder Pets, and designed information graphics for The New York Times. I have been working toward creating children’s books for years, but finally landed on something unique with the idea to tell a children’s story with charts, graphs, and maps. My debut book, Friends Beyond Measure: A Story Told with Infographics was named a “Best of 2023” book by Kirkus, The Horn Book, and the Chicago Public Library; and was awarded the Mathical Book Prize for 2024.
Where can people find your work? (Besides Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester–though they should totally check here first!)
In addition to Annie’s Book Stop, Friends Beyond Measure can be found on Amazon, Target, and Austin’s independent bookstore BookPeople which has signed copies available.
How can we follow your work and share your awesomeness?
My daughter has made sure I am on all of the main social media networks! Here’s the rundown of the ones I use the most lately:
Website: http://www.LalenaLab.com
Instagram: @lalenafisherillustration
Facebook: @lalenalab
Twitter: @lalenafisher
TikTok: @lalenafisherillustration
What was the inspiration for Friends Beyond Measure? What were the steps you took to bring it from initial inspiration to the finished book?
Since I had created both infographics and children’s animation, I gave myself a challenge: Could charts, graphs, and maps be used to tell a fun, engaging, relatable story for children—with an emotional arc? At the time, my close friend had just told me she was moving away; our whole families were friends, including our daughters. I had complicated feelings about it and felt the need to process them. So I rooted my book story in this authentic experience I was having.
But I especially wanted the book to be fun and make kids laugh. I usually find a lot of humor in visual details, so I channeled Richard Scarry in making informational pictures cute and friendly and giggle-worthy.
For the drawings, I chose marker and pencil for their loose, brainstorming quality, and because these are materials familiar and relatable to kids. This was a foundational value in the design of Blue’s Clues, and I’ve carried that with me ever since.
What is/are your passions when you’re not writing? How do you make time for your non-writing hobbies/things you love?
I love working with students in author visits to schools. Since my daughter is a teenager now, it’s my chance to be around the kids for whom I write! I learn so much from them…and from their teachers and librarians too. At this point it’s hard for me to decide which I love more: making the books, or sharing them with kids.
I also write and perform music in a rock duo with my daughter! She’s 15 now, and a drummer; I play guitar, and we’ve been playing together since she was little. We’re called The Mothermold (after a sculptural mold) and even have an album out! It’s been a great way to spend time together on a creative project, and take pride in performing together. We’re part of a vibrant music community here, connected to the Girls’ Rock Camp Alliance.
I am also a runner, and love spending time in forests, rivers and beaches; I find the natural world and its inhabitants fascinating and inspiring. Science ignites my imagination—especially physics and biology.
What does your writing space look like? What do you need to have around you while writing or editing?
I finally have a dedicated studio space for art, writing and music, as of 2015. It’s a small outbuilding in our South-Austin backyard, tucked under a bunch of cedar elm trees—one of which has an owl house with an Eastern screech owl we call Olive. In the studio I have a drawing table; a desk with my computer; shelves full of books and art supplies ranging from markers to spray paint; my daughter’s green drum kit; and my guitars and amps. Taped on the walls are all kinds of clipped and drawn images that inspire me; and outlines of stories in progress. Oh, and I must not forget my studio buddy, Cisco—he’s a sweet black-and-white Boston terrier who keeps me company during the workday.
What is one thing that most people don’t realize about you?
I speak Spanish after having lived for a year in Monterrey to study Mexican history. I was named after a song by Donovan. Winona Ryder’s character in the film Reality Bites was named after me (the screenwriter was a high school classmate; the character is not supposed to be me). I dressed as Helen Keller for Halloween when I was 6. I grew up fishing and crabbing with my dad on the Texas Gulf Coast. I have a big sister I didn’t meet until I was 16 (I grew up as an only child). I can wiggle my nose two different ways, wiggle my ears, and raise my eyebrows independently. And as a child I made myself be not ticklish, because I was tired of being tickle-victimized by male relatives.
Do you have any favorite foods or drinks that must be in the vicinity (or must be avoided) while you’re writing or editing a piece of work?
I drink half-caff coffee all morning. After lunch I always crave chocolate, so I have a small piece of dark chocolate or a cup of hot chocolate. Later in the afternoon I drink a Coke Zero. If I need a snack, I munch on a few dried Turkish figs or a handful of any of my selection of weird baked “healthy” flavored chips. Snacks are my favorite meal!
Lalena, thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions, and lots of luck with Friends Beyond Measure!