Marla Frazee

Marla Frazee has always thought in pictures. She first illustrated a friend’s story in the third grade, and in the fifth grade, her teacher predicted that she’d grow up to illustrate children’s books. She did exactly that. First came a degree from Art Center (where she remains, teaching children’s book illustration), then a host of books, including the brand-new Clementine (Hyperion), written by Sara Pennypacker and featuring a couple of drawings from Altadena 8-year-old Kate Herrill. Marla also wrote and illustrated three successful Harcourt titles: Roller Coaster, Santa Claus, the World’s Number One Toy Expert, and Walk On! A Guide for Babies of All Ages. Marla gets to do this in a wonderfully romantic way: What looks like a playhouse under the avocado tree in her Pasadena backyard is in fact a perfectly equipped artists’ studio. It’s where she works when her teenage sons are in school (one’s off in college, one’s in high school, and one’s in junior high) and when her photographer husband, Tim Bradley, is in his studio.

In short, Marla Frazee is living the fantasy of every fifth-grade artist. Not to mention many a middle-aged Pasadenan.

1. Do you think of Pasadena as an artistic town?
I think of Pasadena as a conscious town. It has always seemed intentionally conceived and developed, in a way that most Southern California towns aren't. That is an artistic attribute, isn't it?

2. If you could come back at any age, what age would you be?
Oh my God. I would not want to relive any particular time in my life—once is enough. But I have often wished that I could go back in time to see what my mother and my grandmother were like when they were very small children. Old black and white photographs just don't do it for me. I want to watch how they move, hear their voices, listen to their laughter—and see how much or how little they changed as they grew older.

3. As your children have become teenagers, is it more challenging to stay in that little-kid frame of mind with your work?

I think that little-kid frame of mind is pretty much how I view the world. It is very easy for me to remember how I felt when I was 3 years old: scared, shy, nervous, overwhelmed, stressed. Everything seemed so hard! 

I do miss reading picture books to my children, though. I learned a lot about what makes a book work by reading to them on a regular basis. As teenagers, they just don’t seem interested in sitting down next to me and having me read to them. I don't know why.

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3 Favorites 

1. Where do you go to get in touch with your inner child?

In the morning before I get in the studio, I take to the hills with my dog, Rocket. We usually hike in and around Eaton Canyon, either back to the waterfall or up on the fire roads. I don't go to get in touch with my inner child so much as to get my outer adult to shut up.

2. Do you have a local hero in our community?
There are two specific people, who would both be embarrassed beyond belief for what I would want to celebrate them for. So I will say that any independent bookseller is a hero of mine. They are in the trenches, slugging it out, while the chain bookstores and our consumer culture have us by the collective throat. The small amount of money we save from buying discounted books at chains and through Amazon.com is totally offset by what we stand to lose if independent booksellers keep going out of business.

3. I understand you’re a coffee drinker. What’s your favorite place to go out for coffee, besides your cabin?

My favorite place is a short walk from my house. How great is that? It's the Village Cafe, on the corner of Washington and Hill. It's located within the store Penny for Your Thoughts (which has cool jewelry, by the way) and has a wonderfully funky back patio. If you go there, please tell Millie, the charming proprietor, hi for me and that she should call her coffeehouse "Millie's.”

I also love Coffee by the Books, which is attached to the Fuller Seminary Bookstore on Walnut. No matter when you go or who is working, the staff seems incredibly happy to serve you. This is great for a customer's self-esteem. Plus the tip jar is labeled with a particular charity or cause that 100% of the tip money will go to that month.

Ed. note: Find out more about Marla at www.marlafrazee.com

-- by Colleen Dunn Bates