Joanne Schwartz is the author of the new children's picture books Our Corner Grocery Store and Head Full of Clouds. A children's librarian, she lives in Toronto.
Q: What inspired you to write Our Corner Grocery Store?
A: Our Corner Grocery Store was inspired by a little store at the end of my street. Run by an Italian couple who had emigrated to Canada in the 1960s, the store became the very heart of the community.
After years of watching the comings and goings of this mighty little store, it occurred to me that it was the perfect subject for a picture book. It had a kind of magic to it that spoke to kids and adults alike. When you walked across the threshold you never knew what you would find on the shelves or who you might bump into or what kind of friendly advice you might get about dinner preparations.
I really wanted to capture this scene of local community in a picture book.
Q: What do you think the book says about community?
A: I think the book is a reminder of what community can feel like at the local level - child-centered, diverse, and inclusive. The warm, inviting atmosphere of the family-run store makes everyone feel welcome and everyone feel a part of something.
Immigrants enrich our communities, and diverse neighbourhoods add the cultural complexity so vital in our global world. Through a child’s lens the story shows one community, like many others, that embody these qualities and values.
Q: You also have another picture book out--how did you come up with the idea for Head Full of Clouds?
A: Head Full of Clouds grew from that feeling of those dreamy days of childhood when you weren’t quite here or there. One of those days that started a little off-kilter and ended with the kind of clarity that comes from the quotidian details that concretize our sense of self.
In childhood this may not be articulated but it is experienced as the day unfolds and things around you take on a familiar and grounding reality. Sometimes it takes a bit of time to transition from that surreal world of dreams to the day ahead, from interiority to exteriority. That was what I tried to convey in Head Full of Clouds.
Q: What do you think the illustrations, by Laura Beingessner and Afsaneh Sanei respectively, add to the books?
A: I’ve been very fortunate to work with wonderfully talented illustrators. It’s a fascinating process to see your story visually interpreted and enhanced through the artwork.
Laura Beingessner’s charming illustrations so perfectly capture the homey atmosphere of the busy little store that I wanted to convey in Our Corner Grocery Store.
Each page is a scene filled with numerous small details, a treasure trove of things to look at that visually articulate the descriptions in my text, and give us a kid’s eye view of the many things that happen as the day unfolds.
In Head Full of Clouds, Afsaneh Sanei uses a lush palette of colours to deepen the dreamy feeling of my story, incorporating surreal elements in her illustrations and using a variety of perspectives to create images that speak to the child’s inner thoughts and her heightened sense of the world around her as she walks through the city. A playful, sensitive and beautiful interpretation of my words.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m playing with some new picture book ideas. I’m interested in how a child begins to see themselves in relationship to the world around them and how they navigate that awareness.
That, along with the feeling of wonder, are often the underlying themes in my books. I remember these feelings from childhood, and they are never far from my mind when I’m exploring new ideas.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I think the picture book is an incredible art form. The marriage of text and illustration has boundless possibilities. The challenge to conceive and write an impactful picture book is very exciting and I’m so happy to be engaged in this work.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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