Elissa Haden Guest

Me with a cat in a hat box.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
A BIOGRAPHY FOR KIDS

Where were you born?

I was born in New York City. I grew up in Greenwich Village and on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. My father was British and I spent many childhood summers in London, England.

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

I have three older brothers. Of course when I was growing up I desperately wanted a sister!

What did you like to do when you were a kid?

I loved to roller-skate with my best friend, Jenny. I loved playing with dolls. And I always loved to read. Some of my favorite books were CHARLOTTE’S WEB and THE SECRET GARDEN.

Did you have any favorite games?

I liked playing freeze tag, red light green light and running bases. My brothers Nicky and Chris and I played a game where we pretended that the living room floor was poison and we had to climb from one piece of furniture to another without touching the floor.

Did you like to write stories when you were young?

From the time I was in second grade I enjoyed writing stories and poems. My friend Jenny and I were always making up plays and acting them out for our families.

Did you like growing up in New York City?

Oh, yes! New York was a very exciting place to grow up. You can walk for miles in New York City without getting tired or bored because there’s so much to see. Many of the streets are crowded with people and there’s this terrific energy in the air. New York is full of theatres and museums and two of my favorite parks are there, Riverside Park and Central Park.

Do you like living in San Francisco?

Very much so! I feel very lucky that my husband and I raised our daughter and son here. San Francisco is such a beautiful city. It reminds me of London in the way that the light changes all day long. I live right near Golden Gate Park and I can walk to the ocean. What could be better than having an ocean right at the edge of your city?

Where do you get your ideas?

My ideas come from my childhood experiences, they come from having worked as a nursery school teacher, and they come from my daughter and son, who are the inspiration for my characters, Iris and Walter.