1. In 1988 I married an Italian and moved to Rome where my two sons were born–and the idea for City Cat. Rome is teeming with stray cats and I couldn’t help but admire how they masterfully maneuvered through the city streets scavenging for food and comfort. When my boys were young we traveled often by car, visiting all of the sites in CITY CAT. And as the years passed my own borders expanded, first to France where we moved in 1996, then to England where my boys went to school. These days I am often in Munich and London for work. So in a way the book reflects my own personal story. But it also touches on themes that are dear to me—travel, discovery, connection, and homecomings. I was especially drawn to the idea of the family and cat undertaking parallel journeys, meeting at landmarks which are common gathering grounds for travelers—in a way sacred spaces where we connect with others. I also loved the invitation to explore new territory, inviting readers to observe and notice. Lastly, Europeans know their geography and apparently Americans don’t—according to them. So CITY CAT gave me a chance to present some geography in a fun and meaningful context. I hope the story awakens in readers an awareness not only of the bigger world outside of their boundaries but of their own inner worlds. And I hope it inspires them to embark on their own travels one day.

2. Frances Foster sent me samples of Lauren’s artwork when we looking for an illustrator for THAT’S PAPA’S WAY. I immediately fell in love with her exuberant, open-faced characters and her full but graceful detail. We were looking for an artist who could convey the tender relationship between father and daughter without sacrificing sense of place. I was delighted with Lauren’s art and was eager to do another project with her. CITY CAT came to mind when I saw her cityscapes which literally vibrate with energy and a sense of place–accomplished without being overwhelming. There is always something new to see when you go back for a second look. When I had the pleasure of meeting Lauren I could see her personality reflected in her work and that was a treat. To me her illustrations for CITY CAT are inviting and immediate allowing readers to step into her city scenes as artfully as those stray cats step into the streets of Rome.

3. What strikes me the most about picture books today is how they are made. Back in the eighties when I began publishing the making of books was an artisan endeavor with craftsmen contributing their bit along the way. Authors and writers met with their editors and phone calls were still the order of the day. There was an enviable intimacy about the process and, I think, more freedom in choice of stories, art, and their interpretation. Today the picture book has become a commodity subject to the dictates of a market economy. Technology had made piecework redundant. Undoubtedly, there is greater efficiency but the process has lost that personal touch.

That said, there are still many wonderful picture books being produced and perhaps they are better as editors must be more selective, and bookmaking is more refined. But I am wary when I hear agents and editors asking for “character driven books” or books with spare texts because it sounds to me like they’re looking for the recipe for a perfect picture book, which I don’t believe exists. To me, the perfect picture book is a spontaneous creation—inspired by an invisible and mysterious muse not to be found in the marketplace.

Another thing that has changed is the mindset of readers whose brains are literally being rewired by technology and the media. In my work as a therapist I am well aware of the neuroscience behind this. A short time ago an editor commented that a manuscript I’d submitted was too quiet for today’s market. This remark concerned me because children need quiet, reflective books as well as fast paced, action packed stories to grow into balanced teenagers and adults with healthy neuropathways and good coping skills. And I believe writers, educators, and publishers have not only a golden opportunity, but a responsibility to influence childrens’ development in positive ways—something that is increasingly more difficult in a market based industry where the bottom line overrides all.

4. I am always working on several projects at once, usually a couple of picture books and a YA. Currently I am busy with another project for illustrator, George Hallensleben. And I am completing revisions for a middle grade manuscript which blends science and fiction—a sort of hybrid–based on British biologist Rupert Sheldrake’s experiments with animals. Lastly, I am finishing a YA story that emerged during a regression session with one of my patients.

1. Where did you grow up and where do you live now?

I grew up in Maine and graduated from Wellesley College and Columbia University. I worked in the children’s book department of Alfred A. Knopf, and at the National Geographic Society before moving to Rome in 1988 where I lived for 9 years. Home is now in Menton, a small city close to the Italian border in southern France.

2. How has where you live and have lived influenced your writing?

As a child I was a keen observer of nature and wildlife, and growing up in Maine I had plenty of opportunity to spend time in the woods, at the seashore, in the mountains. This dialogue with nature has accompanied me through adulthood and it’s an important theme running through many of my books. THAT’S PAPA’S WAY, THE GREAT BLUE HOUSE, A GIFT FROM THE SEA all hearken back to experiences I had as a child. I think that getting children to explore and engage in their natural habitat can help them to understand their place in the world, not only as residents, but as part of a big beautiful whole.

I’ve spent most of my adult life in Europe and meeting new people and seeing new things has been both challenging and inspiring. The challenges have helped me grow as a person and that, in turn, has nurtured and instructed my writing. Most of the settings for my stories come from places where I’ve lived or visited. DILLON DILLON was my summer house in Camden Maine and FRIENDS OF THE HEART takes place in and outside of Rome. THE CAT THAT WALKED ACROSS FRANCE details the journey of a cat from the Riviera north to Normandy. And CITY CAT which is due out in November chronicles the journey of another cat—a stray– who follows a family on a European holiday.

3. What is a normal writing workday like for you?

I have a loose routine in that I write for a few hours every morning. Afternoons are devoted to my work as a therapist and healer. I am a nomad and move from room to room in my house. Sometimes I’ll go out and work at a coffee bar. I always have notebooks in my bag and am ready to take down an idea or a thought wherever I am. Oftentimes this happens at night and I’ll wake up and flick on the light just long enough to take a few notes. My husband has long grown accustomed to this. I write wherever I go—in airports, while on holiday. New places and movement seem to keep the flow going. I usually have several projects in the works at any one time. I like to wake up and know that I don’t have to return to the same thing I was doing the day or days before. I tend to get bored laboring over a single story week after week, month after month. So I jump around a lot. That enables me to distance myself from each project and go back to it again and again with a fresh eye. And if I’m stuck on one project I put it aside and move on to something else. If nothing works, then I play the piano, or try a new recipe. I’m always planning future books and I have many ideas in the cupboard. Some I put aside for months, even years. Some may never be realized but that’s okay. It’s all part of what I do.

4. As a successful writer of picture books, what do you think of the increasingly shorter word counts in picture books?

I remember about ten years back there was a push for longer picture books. It didn’t last long. I expect it will be the same with this trend. I’ve written picture books with few words and with many words and I wouldn’t generalize about suitable length. A story can be told in a few words or in many, but in a picture book there needs to be the right balance among illustrations, words, and the reader’s imagination. I personally pay no attention to word count until a story is written. And my experience is that a story usually finds its own length. I also pay no attention to word count when I buy a book.

5. Who are your favorite writers and why?

I grew up with Robert McCloskey’s books. TIME OF WONDER took place near my summer house in Maine where we had blueberry fields just like Sal (BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL). I loved Margaret Wise Brown’s THE RUNAWAY BUNNY and GOODNIGHT MOON. Virginia Burton’ THE LITTLE HOUSE was a favorite as was MIKE MULLIGAN’S STEAM SHOVEL. When I was able to read by myself I devoured the Mother West Wind Stories and THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS. I love Thoreau and Wordsworth and Tolstoy and Chekov. And I read a lot of science and medical literature for my work as a therapist.

There are too many favorites to mention them all. But what I respond to are books that demonstrate a sensibility to place and character and manage to convey a quiet wisdom. Often beneath their words are the greater truths of our being—much bigger ideas than appear on the surface. I find it almost magical when a book is able to speak to me beyond its boundaries of page and length.

6. What advice would you give aspiring writers?

Aspiring writers should be readers. Reading nurtures a sensibility to the tools of the trade—words and language–in the same way that a painter needs to be familiar with his palette and brushes. Writers should also be familiar with their audience and have something to say to them. Workshops and formal instruction can convey and refine technique. That said, the most important advice I can give to a writer is to find your own voice. And that is more likely to be present in your inner world than anywhere outside of you. For me, this required taking the time to sit quietly in a state of listening and receptivity—shutting out advice and chatter, and seeing what emerged from my own self. I am struck by how these days we don’t seem to be able to do anything without coaching—from breathing and eating, to relationships and work. There are so many people out there telling us how to live our lives, to be successful, happy, and on it goes. I, for one, think there’s something to be said about discovery and experience–allowing life to unfold on its own. And I would apply this same philosophy to writing. Be proactive, but don’t forget to take the time to sit back and just see what happens. Because that’s the space of true inspiration and surprise.

7. What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a YA novel which originated from my work as a regression therapist. I also have a few picture books ideas in the works in various stages.

8. Do you have any upcoming events you’d like me to publicize?

I am rarely in the States but when that happens I am available for book signings and school visits. I also visit classrooms worldwide on SKYPE. This fall I hope to be in New York and Boston in October. My new picture book CITY CAT is out in November, and I urge you all to take a look at the trailer.

I always wanted to write children’s books and I think from an early age I was unknowingly gravitating towards that.  My work with Frances at AAK was really more of an apprenticeship than an assistantship in which I was given the opportunity to observe and participate in the entire process of bookmaking.  Back in those days it was more of an artisan endeavor, with each piece meted out to a craftsman. Both Frances and Dinah (Stevenson whom I worked for as well) were generous in allowing me responsibility and the privilege of making mistakes (of which I made plenty, one of the worst being to send a scathing reader’s report back to a published writer along with the rejection notice!).

I relish these memories because they are such a shining example of working together towards a common goal– good preparation not only for writing books but for living life.  My first book, ALPHABET SOUP, came to me in a dream after I’d been working with Frances for several years.  The entire story unfolded one night in a series of colorful images.  But there were no words.  I suppose if I’d been given the text as well, it would have been too easy.  I mustered up the courage to construct a small wordless dummy to show Frances who gently encouraged me to put some words to it—which I did.  Meanwhile, Peter Sis had recently arrived in NY and was seeking work as an illustrator so Frances paired us up.  It was a perfect example of synchronicity, a coming together or aligning of events in a way that makes you know it’s right.  I think it was this more than anything else that encouraged me to continue writing.

2.  You write mostly picture books but also have published a few novels.  What are the most rewarding and challenging aspects for you in these forms.

When I began my career the most challenge part of writing was having the patience to remain in a state of receptivity long enough for an idea to materialize—sometimes weeks or months—and take root.  But as I matured both professionally and personally the shift from being an initiator to being a witness became one of the most enjoyable aspects of the process.  To watch an idea blossom into consciousness and feel it take hold is nothing short of exhilarating.

The most challenging part of writing a picture book for me is to fit a big idea into a small format in a way to which small children can relate.  Whether a picture book or a novel I tend to be spare with prose so every word counts.  With a picture book I strive to string the words together, somewhat like beads, so that they create a harmony, a rhythm, and a whole.  Of course in picture books there is a fine line between telling too much and allowing the artist to fill in the blanks.  And there has to be an ongoing process of give and take as the story unfolds both in words and pictures.

Novels present a different challenge—fitting smaller ideas into a larger format. Organization is key and because there are no pictures, the words must be precise enough to convey and create a world for the reader.

Whether through a picture book or a novel, the chance to revisit childhood, recapture its innocence, and view things as though for the first time is a privilege for me and a reminder of how amazing life is.

I believe your picture books are so appealing because they express so precisely the observations, thought and emotions of your young audience.  How do you achieve this authenticity?

An astrologist in Piazza Navona in Rome once read my horoscope and told me that I was someone who would be eternally young.  Then she quickly cautioned that I ran the risk of not acting my age.  So perhaps I should credit the stars.  Apart from that, I loved my own childhood and can still remember in vivid details the unveiling of the world around me.  I have always loved children and been a keen observer of them.  It comes very naturally to me and for whatever reason I have never lost the ability to see the world through a child’s eyes.

You have worked on several books with the illustrator Georg Hallensleben.  How did this collaboration develop and what is your working relationship like?

Georg and I met through a mutual friend when we were both living in Rome.  He was a studio artist at the time and I’d been doing picture books for some years.  I saw an exhibition of his and was drawn to his work so I asked him if he’d like to collaborate on a project—BABOON.  That was our first book together.  I admire Georg’s ability to depict color and mood and I think his illustrations reflect a sensitivity to place and feeling that complement my writing.  From our first collaboration, we have sought to construct a thoughtful back and forth dialogue which begins with the text and continues to the completion of final art, often changing words or pictures as we progress.  This is lucky because that doesn’t happen often.  But I think it can make a difference in the final vision of a book.

In the early days in Rome Georg would drive over in his van which he’d equipped as a studio and he’d park under my apartment and paint.  Then he’d come up for lunch and we’d spend the afternoon reviewing what he’d done.  Often we would make our own dummies for submission.

We both ended up in France—synchronicity again—but Georg went to Paris and I went south.  With the growth of technology and families we began to do more of our work through correspondence.  But we’ve still kept a dialogue running for each book from beginning to end.

Can you describe your creative process?  How do you nurture and develop your ideas? 

I want to say it’s very much like gardening, except that I don’t have much of a green thumb.  A seed it planted, and there is a period of gestation when I become receptive, waiting for the infinite invisible to unfold.  I’m not very methodical or systematic in the way I work, at least in the initial stages of a project.  When I feel I have enough pieces, I start putting them together until I have a story line.  Then I become more organized in my thinking and attentive to detail and choice of words, the way they sound by themselves and together, and within the context of the whole.  I love words and I always want to get them just right.

Then I sit back and watch what happens.  Again it’s a process of give and take, but this time with the universe.   It took me a while to acquire the faith that I would “write another book”—and I think that only happened when I was able to admit to myself that maybe I wouldn’t.  I did spend a few years looking at blank pages trying to muster something from nothing much like a magician but soon it became clear that wasn’t how it worked.

I am often asked where I get ideas for my stories.  I used to think that inspiration was a product of my experiences, big and small.  And while I still believe that to be true to some extent, my own journey has taught me that there is a larger force at work, and I am but the vehicle of an expression that belongs to something collective as well as individual.

Do you have a writing routine?  Do you work at the same place for a certain amount of time every day?  What do you do when you get stuck?

I have a loose routine in that I write for a few hours every morning.  Afternoons are devoted to my work as a healer.  I am a nomad and move from room to room in my house.  Sometimes I’ll go out and work at a coffee bar.  I always have notebooks in my bag and am ready to take down an idea or a thought wherever I am.  Oftentimes this happens at night and I’ll wake up and flick on the light just long enough to take a few notes.  My husband has long grown accustomed to this.  I write wherever I go—in airports, while on holiday.  New places and movement seem to keep the flow going. I usually have several projects in the works at any one time. I like to wake up and know that I don’t have to return to the same thing that I was doing the day or days before.  I tend to get bored laboring over a single story week after week, month after month.  So I jump around a lot.  That enables me to distance myself from each project and go back to it again and again with a fresh eye.  And if I’m stuck on one project I put it aside and move on to something else.  If nothing works, then I play the piano, or try a new recipe.  I’m always planning future books and I have many ideas in the cupboard.  Some I put aside for months, even years.  Some may never be realized but that’s okay.  It’s all part of what I do.

Do you see a common theme that all your books share?

Connectedness is a theme which runs through all of my books—our connectedness to our outer worlds, inner world, and to one another.  Oftentimes in my books this notion is expressed through relationships, early ones especially, and it reflects my belief that healthy relationships form the foundation for healthy beings.  We are all connected and wholeness is how we work best.

The Magician’s Apprentice is an unusual novel with a spiritual message for young readers.  What prompted you to write this story?

The story came to me in a series of visions in a period of my life, nearly ten years ago, when I was very ill.  I had caught a hospital infection and despite all efforts was not recovering from the infection or the debilitating pain.  It was a deeply transformational time for me as it changed the way I looked and experienced the world and I guess you could say I had an epiphany of sorts as I realized I might not survive.  Over a period of three years I experienced a series of mystical and synchronistic events that led to my recovery and my work as a healer.  Part of these happenings was having THE MAGICIAN’S APPRENTICE channeled to me .  I was told that two more books would follow.  THE KEY TO THE KINGDOM came to me two years later and a third, WARRIORS OF LIGHT which I have yet to write.  Day after day I sat down and became a scribe to a higher voice.  In retrospect, I see that period as one of inner expansion in which I journeyed deep within my soul and was initiated into a space of grace, learning that t that is from where my work and life unfolds.

You are also working on Energy Medicine.  Could you explain what it is and if and how it relates to your books?

Energy medicine, broadly speaking, encompasses techniques that recognize the body as information and energy.  They are based on the premise that disturbances in the energetic field of the body cause distress (emotional, physical, and mental), and they strive to correct these imbalances by influencing energy flow in a number of ways.  Tapping, acupuncture, homeopathy, and hands on healing are all examples.  I have trained in Rieki, Pranic Healing, EFT, TAT and Reconnective Healing.  I am also a hypnotist and regression therapist and I use both of these therapies in my healing work.  I love the idea that our histories both personal and collective are transmitted through story and both hypnosis and regression are modalities whereby healing happens by accessing the subconscious mind and the vehicle is through storytelling (on the part of the client) and script (on the part of the therapist).  In recent days the common denominator of my healing and writing has been my dear editor Frances Foster who suffered a stroke on the eve of Thanksgiving.  As heartbreaking as this as been, I cherish the opportunity to help her in whatever manner is appropriate and to return in some way all that she has given to me.  I suppose this is the give and take which is what life, and not just writing, is all about.   And it’s come full circle.

Thank you.

Q2.  Growing up in Maine I passed much of my time in nature, which for me has always been a constant reminder of who we really are and the larger fabric of which we are a part.  Wildlife and beauty were abundant, and the the  rhythm of the seasons was marked and often dramatic.  These settings and ideas have often found their their way into my work.

Living in France and Italy has offered me new landscapes, colors and people which over the years I have integrated into my life, partly ithrough my writing and my books.  As a foreigner I am very aware of differing cultures, the give and take among them, as well as the conflicts. But even so, in my personal life I choose to think of a common heritage that links us all, something that surmounts variations in space, time, and being.  I suppose these are bigger idea that reflect in smaller ways in my work.

 Q3.  I wrote a YA novel which was set in Rome, my home for many years and the origin of  much of what I love, including my husband and my children.  It was born of a desire to share with others, but also of a great appreciation of my surroundings.  Much of the setting was real and I enjoyed the challenge of conveying a sense of place and feeling through words.  Sometimes I compose my own settings.  Other times they are depicted directly, but more often there is a melding of the two–imaginary journeys through real places and real journeys through imaginary places.

Q4.  Georg and I met through a mutual friend when we were both living in Rome.  He was a artist at the time and I’d been doing picture books for some years.  I saw an exhibition of his and liked what he did.  Then I met him and discovered his interest in childrens’ books.  I admire Georg’s ability to depict color and mood and I think his illustrations reflect a certain sensitivity to place and feeling that complement my writing.  From our first book, we have always constructed a thoughful give and take dialogue which begins with the text and continues to the completion of final art, often changing words or pictures as we progress.  This is lucky because that doesn’t happen often.  But I think it can make a difference in the final vision of a book.

Q5.  One of the books I remember from childhood is Virginia Burton’s The Little House in which a house is moved from the city back to the country.  I loved her depiction of the seasons and the life of the house, and was awed by the rapid construction of the city. I read (or was read) all of Robert McCloskey’s books.  A Time of Wonder was my favorite.  I had a summer house not far from Owl’s Head (Maine) and I  knew the sound of “growing ferns, pushing aside dead leaves, unrolling their fiddleheads…”.  Blueberries for Sal is another book I remember.  Like Sal I picked blueberries every day through the summer months and though I never met a bear, there were grass snakes, rabbits, and plenty of other creatures.  When I began to read myself, I went through all of Thorton Burgess, The Wind in the Willows, E.B. White’s books, Pippi Longstocking.  I loved animal stories and I admired Stuart Little’s pluck and humor.

Q6.  There are writers whom I like enormously– Alice McDermott, Anne Tyler, Carol Shields, Kazuo Ishiguro.  For young people I like Suzanne Fisher Staples  But the truth is I don’t read fiction all that much and I don’t have a large opportunity to see what other people are writing for children and young people.  I actually tend to read a lot of scientific books!  Cookbooks seem to inspire me in unknown and mysterious way.  I like to browse through them, reading bits and pieces.  One of my all time favorites is Bert Greene’s Green on Greens which offers memorable anecdotes about vegetables and their roots.  But to put it briefly, and probably somewhat tritely, most of my inspiration comes from life itself.

 Q7.  Yes, since I was about three.

 Q8.  Many of my books are products of my own childhood, family, and extended family and the people we’ve known and places we’ve seen.  Having children (I have two boys) has simply offered me more material to work from as I watch them grow, make and break their attachements, and come into their own–much like FOX.

1)    What I remember about the ERASERHEADS is that the idea came to me in the car on the way home from the Bologna Book Fair a few years back.  It just popped into my head and I cried aloud, “The Eraserheads!”  I had no notion of what I would do with it but I was sure it would eventually become a book.  Often when I’m traveling I get ideas.  It could be on a plane or in an airport, on a train, or cruising along in the car as a passenger.  I’ve never been inspired while driving, however.  Anyway, the idea is like a seed which takes root and over a period of time, evolves.  Over the years, I’ve learned to be patient and let the process unfold which is what happened with the ERASERHEADS. (In my early days as a writer I would spend hours, weeks, trying to force my thoughts into shape as though they were made of clay until I figured out that’s not the way it worked, not for me anyway.)  With the EASERHEADS once I had the characters, I began to think of erasers, drawing, and mistakes.  At some point I decided that I would like Boris as illustrator and the pieces began to fall into place until I had a story.

2)    I’m not very methodical or systematic in the way I work, at least in the initial stages of a project.  Sometimes an idea just appears in my head, like the ERASERHEADS.  Othertimes, it’s a character, Lenny (LENNY’S SPACE), for example.  Very often it’s simply a scrap taken from my own life, past or present.  It could be something I see, or hear, or remember.  My only strategy after an idea comes is to step back and see what follows.  I suppose you could say that I like to get out of myself in order to observe what’s going on within.  When I feel I have enough pieces, I start putting them together until I have a story line.  Then I become more organized in my thinking and attentive to detail and choice of words, the way they sound by themselves and together, and within the context of the whole.  I love words and I always want to get them just right.

3)    I think the most important thing I strive for in creating a picture book is a feeling of harmony—through words and ideas and how they are expressed.  Underlying this is the notion of how we are all connected to one another and to everything in the universe.  Our relationships with ourselves, others, and the world around us are paramount to me.

4)    I grew up with Robert McCloskey’s books.  TIME OF WONDER took place near my summer house in Maine where we had blueberry fields just like Sal (BLUEBERRIES FOR SAL).  I loved Margaret Wise Brown’s THE RUNAWAY BUNNY and GOODNIGHT MOON.  Virginia Burton’ THE LITTLE HOUSE was a favorite as was MIKE MULLIGAN’S STEAM SHOVEL.  When I was able to read by myself I devoured the Mother West Wind Stories and THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS.

5)    I grew up in Maine surrounded by nature and wildlife.  My family spent time in the woods, at the seashore, in the mountains and from a very early age I was aware of the life in all of its forms that was happening around me all of the time.  This dialogue with nature has followed me through adulthood and it’s an important theme running through many of my books.  THAT’S PAPA’S WAY, THE GREAT BLUE HOUSE, A GIFT FROM THE SEA all hearken back to experiences I had as a child.  Still, other stories, MAX’S WORDS, BABOON, IF THE MOON COULD TALK, have been inspired by my own children and their adventures in the world.

6)    The most challenging part of writing for children is to fit big ideas into a small format in a way to which they can relate.  But when that’s accomplished it is most rewarding.  The chance to revisit childhood, recapture its innocence, and view things as though for the first time is a rare privilege and a reminder of how amazing life is.

7)    I don’t really feel qualified to give practical advice to other writers. I’ve still not set up a web site or created a blog which I hear is a must.  (I hope to accomplish both this year).  I don’t read as much fiction as I should.  I prefer science.  I live in France and so don’t follow the book market as I might or should.  If I had to say one thing it would be write for a living but don’t live for writing.  What I mean is don’t get caught up in the dramas and traumas of  being a writer, nor in plots and characters at the expense of your own existence.  Live your own life, find your path, follow it, and that will give you all the material you need.

8)    My favorite character from a YA novel would be Dillon from DILLON DILLON.  I like his sensibility, introspection, and his way of looking at and interacting with the world.  He is a magical character to me.  My favorite character from a picture book is probably Max from MAX’S WORDS.  I like his originality, playfulness, and ability to think “outside of the box”.

9)    I usually have several projects going at any one time. I like to wake up and know that I don’t have to return to the same thing which I was doing the day or days before.  I tend to get bored laboring over a single story week after week, month after month.  So I jump around a lot.  That enables me to distance myself from each project and go back to it again and again with a fresh eye.  I’m always planning future books and I have many ideas in the cupboard.  Some I put them aside for months, even years.  Some may never be realized but that’s okay.  It’s all part of what I do.

• Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
• Published: November 2013
• ISBN: 0374313210

Publishers Weekly

Castillo takes no shortcuts, drafting each city’s distinctive architecture in soft, pleasing lines. Though there are parallels with Banks’s The Cat Who Walked Across France, this feline isn’t trying to get home; she’s happy to wander Europe’s plazas and cathedral squares, and to have readers trail along.

School Library Journal

Children will enjoy the fanciful adventures of this intrepid feline as she explores rooftops, bridges, and ancient ruins…this is a pretty book for armchair travelers and cat lovers.

—Suzanne Myers Harold, formerly at Multnomah County Library System, Portland, OR

Kirkus

A black cat serves as European tour guide for child readers in this offering from Banks and Castillo. . . A lovely… feline journey.

• Illustrated by Lauren Castillo
• Published: November 2013
• ISBN: 0374313210

A plucky stray cat takes a Grand Tour in Kate Banks’ story of a family on a European vacation. As the family travels from one city to the next, the cat finds its own means–by bus, boat, train, truck, and bike–to tag along on the trip, visiting historic landmarks like Buckingham Palace and the Cathedral of Notre Dame along the way. Readers will pore over the spreads to find where City Cat is hiding in each city, and detailed backmatter explains the history behind the sites in each locale.

• Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
• Published: May 2013
• ISBN: 0374360022

Kirkus

While the message delivered is a good one, the lush Victorian feel of the art may not appeal to the readers most likely to benefit most from this lesson.

Publishers Weekly

Swiatkowska’s pictures of Alice in a romantic confection of a dress recall the round-faced children in turn-of-the-century soap advertisements. The story’s greatest pleasure is found in the improbable outdoor creatures found inside Alice’s house, echoing her gestures and emotions like a visual Greek chorus.

• Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
• Published: May 2013
• ISBN: 0374360022

A playful story where, with the use of a single polite word, lines between the real and the imaginary become blurred as toy animals come to life.

A companion piece to Thank You, Mama.

• Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska
• Published: April 2013
• ISBN: 0374374449

Children’s Literature Comprehensive Databas

The characters’ large, expressive eyes, marcelled hair and stylized clothing take their look from porcelain dolls of the period. Alice, her family and her animals are nicely sized for reading with a group, and the story is simple enough to provide a solid lesson in good manners. Pair it with Say Please, by Tony Ross for a very polite story time.

—Lois Rubin Gross