· Website: http://mariagianferrari.com/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Maria-Gianferrari-800629079959897/
· Instagram: @pennyandjelly
· Hello Goodbye Dog bio: Maria Gianferrari is the author of several picture books, including Coyote Moon, also published by Roaring Brook Press. For Maria, hello is sunshine after a snowstorm, the scent of cinnamon, and happy greetings from her beloved mutt, Becca. Maria lives in northern Virginia with her dog, Becca, her scientist husband and her artist daughter.
1. When you were my age, did you like to read? I loved reading nonfiction, and my favorite books over & over again.
2. What was your favorite story? I had two favorite picture books, Miss Twiggley’s Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox and Scuttle the Stowaway Mouse by Jean Conder Soule and Nancy Soule. I still have my childhood copies.
3. How do you get your ideas? Like why a Therapy dog? I am a dog lover, and I truly believe in the power of the human-dog bond, and that their unconditional love heals us, and keeps us healthy and happy.
4. Is it hard to write/illustrate a book? Some books are harder to write than others. I would say in general, the nonfiction books I write come more easily to me than the fiction ones.
5. Do you have a favorite among the books you have written/illustrated? My favorite book is usually the one I’m currently working on.
6. What author do you really like right now? Any new or less known authors? One of my favorite authors is poet Joyce Sidman. She has a new biography coming out in February on artist-scientist Maria Sybille Merian called The Girl Who Drew Butterflies. I can’t wait to read it!
7. What advice do you have for a kid who wants to be an author? Read a lot. All different kinds of books. And have fun with your writing—be playful and experimental and try out different kinds of styles.
