Felicita Sala is the author and illustrator of the new children's picture book What's Cooking in Flowerville?. Her other books include Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street. She lives in Rome.
Q: What inspired you to create What's Cooking in Flowerville?
A: I was looking to write a second recipe book that had a similar pattern as the first: exploring people's habitats and learning about new food. It was at the end of a long lockdown in Rome, when spring was blooming and people were coming outside to meet in the sun, that I got the idea to do a seasonal recipe book that ends with a grand picnic.
Q: How did you choose the recipes to include?
A: I chose the main ingredient first. Every month has a fruit or vegetable which is representative of the season. For each season I wanted to include a balance of sweet and savory. It was the ingredient that led the choice. Many recipes are also staple favorites in my house.
Q: Did you work on the text first, or the illustrations--or both at the same time?
A: Both at the same time. I finalized the recipes at the end after testing them a few times.
Q: How did you first get interested in creating picture books?
A: When I moved back to Europe and discovered picture book illustration as an art form, and decided I wanted to be a part of that world. I am self-taught.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I'm working on a story I wrote myself, about a series of questions between a girl and her dad. And also a book about rocks!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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