Elschner, Géraldine 1954-

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Elschner, Géraldine 1954-

Personal

Born 1954, in France; immigrated to Germany; children: three children. Education: Degree (Germanic and Romance languages).

Addresses

Home—Heidelberg, Germany.

Career

Children's book author. Previously worked as a French-German translator of over 150 texts.

Awards, Honors

Prix Chronos, 2006.

Writings

PICTURE BOOKS

Porquoi?, illustrated by Popov, [France], 1995.

Mystère et goutte de lait, illustrated by Julie Litty, [France], 1996.

L'arche de Noé, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger, Nord-Sud, 1997.

Kleiner Indianer Fallender Schnee, illustrated by Monika Schliephack, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 1998.

Kleiner Indianer Tanzendes Blatt, illustrated by Monika Schliephack, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2001.

Sternenkind, illustrated by Liselotte Schwarz, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2001, translated by J. Alison James as Moonchild, Star of the Sea, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Die Bunte Erde, illustrated by Monika Schliephack, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2002.

Osterküken, illustrated by Alexandra Junge, Michael Nuegebauer, (Zürich, Switzerland), 2003, translated by Marianne Martens as The Easter Chick, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Ich hab dich so vermisst!, illustrated by Xavière Devos, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2004, translated by Marianne Martens as Friends for All Seasons, North-South Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Frisch und Frech, illustrated by Daniela Bunge, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2005, translated by Kathryn Bishop as Fritz's Fish, Minedition (New York, NY), 2005.

Schluss mit dem chaos, illustrated by Alexandrea Junge, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2006, translated by Charise Myngheer as Mark's Messy Room, Minedition (New York, NY), 2006.

Pashmina, das Weihnachtszicklein, illustrated by Angela Kehlenbeck, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2006, translated as Pashmina, the Little Christmas Goat, Minedition (New York, NY), 2006.

Tout seul!, illustrated by Andréï Arinouchkine, Nord-Sud, 2006.

Hukuspokus blumibus!, illustrated by Jean-Pierre Corderoch, Michael Neubebauer (Zürich, Switzerland), 2007, translated by Charise Myngheer as Max's Magic Seeds, Minedition (New York, NY), 2007.

Author's books have also been translated into French.

OTHER

Translator of numerous books into German and French.

Sidelights

Born in France, Géraldine Elschner drew on her university study of Germanic and Romance languages in her career as a translator of both French and German texts. Inspired by her work translating children's books, as

well as by her own three children, Elschner began her career as a children's book author in the mid-1990s. Her books, which are often published in both French and German editions simultaneously, have also reached the hands of English-speaking children through translations that include Moonchild, Star of the Sea, Mark's Messy Room, Pashmina, the Christmas Goat, and Friends for All Seasons. Featuring artwork by such noted European illustrators as Lisbeth Zwerger, Angela Kehlenbeck, and Alexandra Junge, her stories are noted for their gentle humor, engaging characters, and universal appeal.

One of Elschner's first books to be translated into English Moonchild, Star of the Sea is an imaginative fable that follows a curious young star as it travels on a beam of light from the moon down to Earth to explore the planet's beauty. The Easter Chick is a holiday-themed picture book that finds a chicken concerned that her most beautiful egg refuses to hatch, while Friends for All Seasons tells the story of two animal friends—Millie the marmot and Sunny the squirrel—as they deal with the sadness of parting when the seasons change and the time comes to hibernate. Friends for All Seasons was described as a "straightforward story about childhood feelings" in a Kirkus Reviews appraisal, while The Easter Chick pairs a text that "reads aloud well" with "Junge's appealing, stylized artwork," in the opinion of Booklist contributor Carolyn Phelan.

While some of Elschner's books feature animal characters, Mark's Messy Room revolves around a rambunctious young boy. No matter how much his parents beg, Mark cannot keep his room tidy. In fact, his room becomes so messy that his cat Carlo fears becoming lost in the debris. When Carlo runs away to search for some-place tidy, he winds up in a luxurious apartment, where a young girl named Lisa pampers him with cat treats and a satin bed. However, the plush life soon grows old, and Carlo returns to find that Mark has missed him enough to make the changes needed. Commenting favorably on Alexandra Junge's "large cartoon illustrations" for the book, School Library Journal reviewer Sally R. Dow deemed Mark's Messy Room an "appealing story." While pets are also the focus of Elschner's Fritz's Fish, in this case the pet is less mobile. Fritz has always wanted a pet, but his father's allergies have prevented this wish from coming true. However, when he rescues a fish during a local flood the boy names it Fresh and decides to bring the creature home. It soon becomes clear that Fresh would rather be living in the river than in the bathtub of a small apartment, and the boy must make a difficult decision, in a story that Booklist reviewer Shelle Rosenfeld described as "heartfelt" and a Publishers Weekly critic praised for its "restrained yet poetic prose."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 2004, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Easter Chick, p. 1193; January 1, 2006, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Fritz's Fish, p. 111; December 1, 2006, Carolyn Phelan, review of Pashmina, the Little Christmas Goat, p. 51.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2006, review of Mark's Messy Room, p. 951; October 1, 2006, review of Friends for All Seasons, p. 1013; November 1, 2006, review of Pashmina, the Little Christmas Goat, p. 1128.

Publishers Weekly, September 9, 2002, review of Moonchild, Star of the Sea, p. 68; December 12, 2005, review of Fritz's Fish, p. 65; September 24, 2006, review of Pashmina, the Little Christmas Goat, p. 71.

School Library Journal, January, 2003, Roxanne Burg, review of Moonchild, Star of the Sea, p. 94; May, 2004, Maryann H. Owen, review of The Easter Chick, p. 109; January, 2006, Blair Christolon, review of Fritz's Fish, p. 96; October, 2006, Eva Mitnick, review of Pashmina, the Little Christmas Goat, p. 96; December, 2006, Amy Lilien-Harper, review of Friends for All Seasons, p. 98; January, 2007, Sally R. Dow, review of Mark's Messy Room, p. 92.