Bonnie Leick (pronunciation: like) grew up on a dairy farm in Central Wisconsin where as a child, she spent her summers picking rocks in the fields and baling hay. Year-round she was a “Calf Care Specialist”; i.e., she fed calves.
Bonnie’s artwork has sometimes been defined as quirky and humorous. Although she paints with watercolors, many think that her artwork is done digitally. That does not mean that she hasn’t used the computer. For the book Alien Invaders (Raven Tree Press, 2005), she first drew the line-work on animation paper and then painted in Photoshop. In addition to Raven Tree Press, Bonnie has worked for publishers such as Simon & Schuster, Marshall Cavendish and Tanglewood Books. She has also illustrated for Highlights and Highlights High Five.
Prior to her work in children’s books, Bonnie received a BFA in Film/Video-Character Animation from the California Institute of Art and Design. She was an animator and background artist for companies such as Creative Capers, Disney, and Warner Bros. She also wrote short stories for Howie Mandel’s Lil’ Howie series of educational cd-rom games.
Bonnie currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her husband Douglas O’Leary. She has two stepsons, Ryan and Connor and a French Bulldog named Zoe.