{"id":2104,"date":"2011-03-28T00:01:15","date_gmt":"2011-03-28T06:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2104"},"modified":"2011-12-27T15:22:10","modified_gmt":"2011-12-27T21:22:10","slug":"seven-questions-over-breakfast-with-claire-a-nivola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2104","title":{"rendered":"Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Claire A. Nivola"},"content":{"rendered":"

At this profile<\/a><\/strong> of author\/illustrator Claire A. Nivola (in celebration of this 2008 Candlewick title<\/a><\/strong>), she states, “Writing for children is a serious business.” Claire would know. Her first illustrated title was back in 1970, though she did take a break from it all for many years. “Being a mother absorbed my heart and intellect,” she writes at that link. (See also her response to the final two questions in my interview below, what I find to be a profoundly reflective response that made me nod my head an awful lot and just so happens to capture something I think about a great deal myself.) Nevertheless, Claire has been working in the field for a long time and has seen many trends in publishing books for children come and go. <\/p>\n

I’m so pleased to have Ms. Nivola over for coffee this morning and share her rich and intricate folk-art-style illustrations with readers. She’s here to discuss her upcoming Spring picture book, all about her father’s hometown on the island of Sardinia, and I’ve got a sneak-peek into some of the illustrations from that beautiful title. And if you missed last year’s Emma’s Poem: The Voice of the Statue of Liberty<\/a><\/strong><\/em>, written by Linda Glaser<\/a><\/strong> (2010) and which was awarded the 2011 Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers category, you’re in for a treat this morning with some spreads here from that, as well. Claire’s very stylized, detailed illustrations are captivating, and so many of the books she’s both written and illustrated or illustrated have been nonfiction titles, thus making this a fitting post for the kidlitosphere’s Monday celebrations of nonfiction<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Let’s get right to it, and I really appreciate Claire taking the time to visit. <\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/font><\/center><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Are you an illustrator or author\/illustrator?<\/font><\/p>\n

Claire<\/font><\/strong>: Illustrator and Author\/Illustrator. <\/p>\n

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Spreads from Claire’s <\/em>Planting the Trees of Kenya:
The Story of Wangari Maathai<\/a><\/strong>, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008<\/em>
(Click each spread to enlarge.)<\/center><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Jules<\/font><\/strong>: Please list your books-to-date.<\/font><\/p>\n

Claire<\/font><\/strong>: Written and illustrated by me: <\/p>\n