Frans Vischer was born and raised in Holland where he enjoyed playing soccer and drawing cartoons. At the age of eleven his family emigrated to America where they settled in Northern California. Shortly after arriving in California, Frans took a trip to Disney Studios with his parents. The visit made an impression on his life and inspired Frans to start making his own animated films with a Super-eight camera at the tender age of thirteen.
 

Frans went on to further pursue his passion at Cal Arts in Valencia where he studied animation film making. In 1981, Frans accepted his first animation job at Disney Studios. He has since worked on such films as WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT, CATS DON'T DANCE, THE ROAD TO ELDORADO and most recently CURIOUS GEORGE.

In 2000 Frans decided to take his artwork and passion for storytelling into the world of children's books. His first book, JIMMY DABBLE, (Dutton) is a middle grade novel that offers a warm and funny story with a barnyard of wonderfully quirky characters that young readers will love.

 

Book Descriptions

JIMMY DABBLE (Dutton)

From School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-"Jimmy arrived like a ray of sunlight in the drab lives of his parents." Although both were kindhearted, Hank and Maggie Dabble struggled so hard on their poor farm on the very edge of a dark wood that they had little time for anything but chores. That left Jimmy alone most of the time. In a lighthearted style, Vischer constructs a believable fantasy in which the squabbling hens, wise cow, friendly sheep, and a pig named Al become Jimmy's companions on many adventures. It turns out that these animals are talented and save the day in a melodramatic twist at the end of the story that children will enjoy. Add to the mix a zany grandmother, a not-so-scary creature named Beebo who lives in the dark woods, and a disaster or two, and you have the ingredients for a story that children will appreciate. Vischer's abundant large-sized cartoons and spot-art creations are as lively and exuberant as the text. The diversity of characters and ample dialogue make the book a good choice as either a group read-aloud or an independent read. Not quite so complex as E. B. White's Charlotte's Web (HarperCollins, 1952) or a Roald Dahl creation, Jimmy Dabble will expose children to a well-written fantasy and leave many of them searching for similar titles.

Lee Bock, Glenbrook Elementary School, Pulaski, WI

Currently, Frans Vischer is creating a series of picture books for Aladdin (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) about a fat, lazy cat named Fuddles. He lives with his wife and three children in California.

For more information visit www.jimmydabble.net.