Creator Corner: Author Elizabeth Davaze and Illustrator Marianne Ferrer

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent books. For this post, we interviewed The Weedflower author Elizabeth Davaze and illustrator Marianne Ferrer, whose book published August 15, 2024!

Owlkids Books: Elizabeth, how did you begin writing and illustrating children’s books?

Elizabeth Davaze: Like many authors, I started writing stories when I was a child. I went to university and got a degree in English, and photojournalism after that, and then worked for different newspapers and magazines. It wasn’t until I had children of my own that I started thinking about children’s books. Kids are naturally so creative and hilarious – they really open the doors of imagination.

Owlkids Books: Marianne, when did you know that you wanted to be an illustrator?

Marianne Ferrer: Since I was a kid myself! Reading picture books and drawing were my absolute favorite activities. I was very determined to make that dream come true since becoming a dinosaur vet was impossible, haha.

OKB: Elizabeth, what inspired you to write this book?

ED: The Weedflower was inspired by a true story! When my daughter was in kindergarten, her schoolyard was pretty uninspiring. One day she came home ecstatic, telling me she had discovered something magical: a yellow flower had sprung up right in the corner of her little schoolyard! It made me simultaneously want to giggle, and also maybe shed a tear over how important it was to her to find this small lovely thing.

OKB: Elizabeth, what was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?

ED: The two most memorable moments of the process for me were the very earliest — when I first got word my manuscript was being acquired — and the very last, when I got to hold a finished copy in my hands. The challenge was everything in between there! The patience, mostly. Also the letting go. My poor, wonderful editor Ella had to talk sense into me over a hyphen I was very attached to.

OKB: Marianne, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?

MF: I challenged myself to only use dandelion colours and that was really fun! It got a little tricky trying to come up with so many combinations for all the students’ outfits without looking like uniforms.

OKB: Marianne, what was the inspiration for your illustrations in this book?

MF: Back when I was in grade school, my BFF (Hi Jessica!) and I would have a very specific recess ritual during spring. We would walk the perimeter of the soccer field, between the fence and the asphalt, and look for treasure. We found lots of dandelions and once even a dragon-shaped pen!

OKB: Elizabeth and Marianne, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

ED: For me the story is about noticing, and really appreciating, the world around us. Can you imagine a flower that blossoms into such a bright, beautiful colour… and then magically transforms into a delicate fluffball — that you can wish on? If dandelions weren’t so hearty and abundant, people would really treasure them.

MF: I hope readers of all ages will take the time to look around and see what treasures they might find. Beauty is everywhere you look for it.

OKB: Elizabeth and Marianne, what’s a fun fact people may not know about you?

ED: In the office where I write, I am surrounded by at least a dozen bags of walnuts, which I’m crafting into tiny houses for felt animals (another passion of mine).

MF: On a similar treasure hunt in my grandmother’s garden, when I was about 4 years old, I once found a four leaf clover that had grown to be about two feet tall. Maybe it would’ve kept growing to be taller than the house itself!