Q&A with Amy Guglielmo

 

 

Amy Guglielmo is the author, with Jacqueline Tourville, of the new children's picture book biography Lucy!: How Lucille Ball Did It All. Her other books include Just Being Dalí. She is also an artist and an educator.

 

Q: What inspired you to write a children’s picture book biography about Lucille Ball?

 

A: My co-author Jacqueline Tourville and I have always loved Lucille Ball and I Love Lucy from watching the show with our families. We were surprised that there wasn’t a traditional picture book written about this important person, so we had to make one!

 

Lucy’s comedy is timeless, and we wanted to make sure kids learned about this funny, fabulous lady. Kids are naturally funny and Lucy celebrates things like putting on shows with your friends and using your imagination.

 

Q: What do you think Brigette Barrager’s illustrations add to the book?

 

A: Brigette is masterful at creating the perfect scenes and settings for our characters to shine! She did a fabulous job putting readers into Lucy’s world by capturing her style and dynamic gestures.

 

The book has a cozy vintage look and feel and Brigette takes you back to the 1950s with her use of a limited palette of colors. I also love how Brigette allowed Lucy to be the star on every page, by dressing her in blue!

 

Q: What would you say are some of the most common perceptions and misconceptions about Lucille Ball?

 

A: I think people think Lucy is hilarious and I agree, but Lucy didn’t think she was funny. She was very serious about comedy.

 

I don’t think people know how hard Lucy worked to achieve success. Lucy’s rise to fame is a classic story of determination and a reminder to do your best and never give up on your aspirations.

 

Her quote, “I love hearing people laugh,” guided this book. Lucy was always willing to take a pie to the face and do silly things to get a chuckle.

Q: What do you see as her legacy today?

 

A: Lucy was a pioneer in numerous ways. She gave women permission to be funny. Also, she was the first visibly pregnant woman on television, the first woman to run a major television studio, and she is the reason we have Star Trek!

 

According to NASA, the diverse and inclusive cast of Star Trek inspired generations of people of color and women to apply to be astronauts. Lucy influenced so many people to reach for the stars!

 

Q: What are you working on now?

 

A: The fantastic team behind the Lucy book, Jacqueline, Brigette, and I, have a Cyndi Lauper book coming out in 2026! We are thrilled to share the story of another amazing, colorful, trailblazing, artsy icon!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: For kids who love Lucy and funny people, there are now Little Golden Books about Lucille Ball, Betty White, and Carol Burnett.

 

For kids who love to laugh, we love If You Laugh I’m Starting This Book Over by Chris Harris, with illustrations by Serge Bloch, and The Book That Almost Rhymed by Omar Abed, with illustrations by Hatem Aly, and anything by Ame Dyckman!

 

Also, if you are looking for special reasons to celebrate Lucy, here are a few: Women’s History Month, National Let's Laugh Day on March 19, “I Love Lucy” Day on October 15, Lucille Ball Comedy Festival on August 1-4, Lucille Ball’s Birthday August 11, World Red Head Day August 6, and Star Trek Day September 8.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Amy Guglielmo.