About Bonnie
Bonnie Christensen, an American author and illustrator, is best known for writing biographies and other illustrated non-fiction books for children and young adults. She was also an accomplished printmaker and fine artist whose works were exhibited internationally. Bonnie died in 2015 but her books continue to engage and inspire young readers.
Books
Bonnie illustrated twenty books, ten of which she also wrote. Her middle grade novel, Sunshine, Moonshine (Onion River Press) will be published in March 2024. Co-authored by her daughter, Emily Herder, and illustrated by Annelise Capossela.
Archive & Collections
Bonnie’s original artwork and papers are archived at the Library of Congress, Division of Popular and Applied Graphic Art, the Thomas R. Dodd Research Library, University of Connecticut, and the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, where her work is often on display.
Information on past and future exhibits featuring Bonnie’s work can be found below.
Fine Art
Bonnie’s fine art was exhibited internationally. She drew inspiration from her surroundings, especially during and following her multiple artist residencies in Venice, Italy.
Once & Future Happenings
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OUT NOW! SUNSHINE, MOONSHINE
“In that last light of day, he looked like a boy who’d just found the county’s biggest bullfrog. Those tumble-down shacks were some sort of dream come true for Daddy, and he was bound to show us what he could make of it all. I was bound to help himtoo—no matter what it took. Anything to get us a real home again. All ours.
Before long, night had taken us. The sky was like a big black bowl turned over, and I never saw more stars in my entire life. Grandma would’ve said “like ticks on a hound,” but a million times more. I stared so hard I forgot to breathe and, somewhere in my heart, I found the space to thank Daddy for bringing us to Lark Springs.” (c) 2024 Emily Herder
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2024 Release: Sunshine, Moonshine
Onion River Press, March 19, 2024
Sunshine, Moonshine, a middle grade novel set in the prohibition South, will be published this coming spring. Check back here for all release updates!
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Daily Hampshire Gazette "The ABCs of children's books"
This February 23, 2024 article, The ABCs of children’s books: ‘Alphabet Soup’ at the Eric Carle Museum looks at how picture books come to life, details Alphabet Soup, a current exhibit at the Carle, and highlights Christensen’s included illustrations for Breaking into Print.
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On View at the Carle: Original Art from Breaking Into Print
Alphabet Soup: How Picture Books Are Made, From A to Z
January 13 - June 2, 2024
This exhibition mines The Carle’s permanent collection to uncover the processes that bring picture books to life. Each letter of the alphabet introduces a key concept in picture-book making, from the materials artists use, to changes in printing technology, and even the physical parts of books themselves! Bringing words, images, and stories together, Alphabet Soup shows that every decision matters—and every reader can find (or make!) a place for themselves between the pages of a picture book.
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On View at the Carle: Original Art from Ida B. Wells
The Carle Collection: Recent Acquisitions
November 19, 2022 - April 9, 2023
Since its founding 20 years ago, The Carle has become one of the premier repositories in the country for picture-book art. The Carle Collection: Recent Acquisitions showcases more than 60 artworks, by 53 artists, added to the collection over the past five years, the majority through generous donation. The art covers a century of picture-book illustration. Older pieces include an 1899 ink drawing by Golden Age illustrator Charles Robinson and a 1941 watercolor by the groundbreaking artist Wanda Gag—both artists new to the Museum’s collection. There are additional treasures by Remy Charlip, Raúl Colón, Lulu Delacre, Lois Lenski, Allen Say, Maurice Sendak, E. H. Shepard, Pamela Zagarenski, and others.
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On View at the Carle: Art from Rebus Riot!
Let’s Talk! Animals from the Collection
August 8, 2020 - January 24, 2021
Frog and Toad, Stuart Little, Peter Rabbit, and Noisy Nora are some of the beloved picture book characters visitors met in Let’s Talk! Animals from the Collection. The exhibition examines the longstanding tradition of anthropomorphism—giving human characteristics to animals—in children’s literature. Let’s Talk! includes E. H. Shepard’s watercolors of Winnie-the-Pooh, Beatrix Potter’s exquisite drawings of Peter Rabbit, curiosities from Alice in Wonderland, as well as familiar faces from Aesop’s Fables and Little Red Riding Hood. Historical gems by Jean de Brunhoff, Alice Bolam Preston, Leo Lionni, Arnold Lobel, James Marshall, Maurice Sendak, William Steig, and Garth Williams are featured alongside contemporary illustrators such as Ashley Bryan, Petra Mathers, Jerry Pinkney, Rosemary Wells, and Mo Willems.
Curated by Ellen Keiter and Cathryn M. Mercier, PhD.
Contact
For permissions, questions, or to talk about Bonnie over tea, fill out the below form to be in touch with her daughter, Emily.