EJR welcomes children’s author Lizzy Rockwell

Students at Edward J. Russell Elementary School welcomed a special guest on Friday, Oct. 19, and they certainly were familiar with her work.

Lizzy Rockwell, prolific illustrator and writer of children’s books, brought many of her works with her as she spoke to the students about books, the process of writing and illustrating them and her lifelong love of reading.

Rockwell explained that her parents, Anne and Harlow Rockwell, were a team, writing and illustrating books when she was a child. She grew up with art and writing all around her. Rockwell teamed with her mom nearly 30 years ago on the children’s book “Apples and Pumpkins,” a favorite among the EJR students.

She also explained how she does the research for her illustrations. When writing and illustrating “A Mammal is an Animal,” Rockwell took many trips to museums to gather details about all of the animals for her writing and drawing. Researching for her book “Zoo Day” took her to the Bronx Zoo, something many of the students have enjoyed. “Hiking Day” got her out on the trails hiking near her home in Connecticut.

Rockwell gave two presentations at EJR, one to kindergarten through second grade students and another to third through fifth grades.