Souhami, Jessica

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Souhami, Jessica

Personal

Born in England. Education: Attended Central School of Art (London, England).

Addresses

Home and office—4 Torriano Mews, Torriano Ave., London NW5 2RZ, England.

Career

Author, illustrator, and puppeteer. Mme. Souhami and Company (puppet company), founder and performer; illustrator beginning 1993.

Writings

SELF-ILLUSTRATED PICTURE BOOKS

(Reteller) The Leopard's Drum: An Asante Tale from West Africa, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1995.

(Reteller) Old MacDonald, Orchard Books (New York, NY), 1996.

(Reteller) Rama and the Demon King: An Ancient Tale from India, DK Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

Mother Caught a Flea: Silly Rhymes about a Family, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 1998.

One Potato Two Potato: Silly Rhymes about Food, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 1998.

No Dinner!: The Story of the Old Woman and the Pumpkin, Marshall Cavendish (New York, NY), 1999.

In the Dark Dark Wood, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2001.

Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn: An Irish Tale, Henry Holt (New York, NY), 2002.

The Famous Adventure of a Bird-brained Hen, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2003.

The Little, Little House, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2006.

Sausages, Frances Lincoln (London, England), 2006.

ILLUSTRATOR

Alison Lurie, reteller, The Black Geese: A Baba Yaga Story from Russia, DK Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

Sidelights

British author and illustrator Jessica Souhami started her creative career as Madame Souhami, leader of a puppet company that performed adaptations of tradi-

tional folk tales before audiences in her native London as well as on television. In 1993 Souhami expanded her interests in art and folklore into illustration. The picture books she has produced since then, which feature her brightly colored collage artwork, include The Leopard's Drum: An Asante Tale from West Africa, One Potato Two Potato: Silly Rhymes about Food, and The Little, Little House.

In The Little, Little House Souhami breathes new life into an Eastern European Jewish folktale. When a farmer named Joseph goes to his wise Aunty Bella to complain that his house is too small for his wife and their three growing children, Bella instructs the unhappy man to bring his farm animals inside the house with him. The tiny home is soon bursting at the seams due to its new inhabitants, which include chickens, a rooster, a cow, and a rather smelly goat. Joseph and his family now have no room at all, as their home is thrown into chaos, prompting the farmer to once again visit his aunt for advice. When Bella now instructs the man to return the farm animals to the barn, the man and his family realize that their now-uncrowded house has always been just the right size. Praising Souhami's colorful illustrations, Kay Weisman wrote in Booklist that The Little, Little House "will make a good choice for story hours," while School Library Journal contributor Robin L. Gibson predicted that youngsters "will love the humor in the pictures as the chickens play cards, read books, and even feed the baby."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1999, Ellen Mandel, review of The Black Geese: A Baba Yaga Story from Russia, p. 1833; March 1, 2000, Gillian Engberg, review of No Dinner!: The Story of the Old Woman and the Pumpkin, p. 1246; February 15, 2002, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn: An Irish Tale, p. 1018; February 1, 2006, Kay Weisman, review of The Little, Little House, p. 58.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March, 2000, review of No Dinner!, p. 256; March, 2002, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn, p. 258; April, 2006, Hope Morrison, review of The Little, Little House, p. 374.

Horn Book, May-June, 2002, Lauren Adams, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn, p. 340; March-April, 2006, Joanna Rudge Long, review of The Little, Little House, p. 201.

Instructor, April, 2001, review of No Dinner!, p. 12; April, 2003, Judy Freeman, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn, p. 55.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2002, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn, p. 189; December 15, 2005, review of The Little, Little House, p. 1327.

Publishers Weekly, February 28, 2000, review of No Dinner!, p. 80; January 21, 2002, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn, p. 89.

School Library Journal, April, 2000, Carolyn Stacey, review of No Dinner!, p. 126; March, 2002, Jeanne Clancy Watkins, review of Mrs. McCool and the Giant Cúchullainn, p. 221; March, 2006, Robin L. Gibson, review of The Little, Little House, p. 216.

Times Educational Supplement, March 19, 2004, Jane Doonan, "Creature Discomforts," p. 21.