As part of our mission to promote authors, the joy of reading, and to help independent booksellers, The Book Jam has paired with the The Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, Vermont to present an ongoing series entitled “3 Questions”. In it, we pose three questions to authors with upcoming visits to the bookstore. (We have a rotating list of six possible questions to ask just to keep things interesting.) Their responses are posted on The Book Jam during the days leading up to their engagement. Our hope is that this exchange will offer insight into their work, will encourage readers to attend these special author events, and ultimately, will inspire some great reading.
This week we feature beloved children’s author and illustrator Tomie dePaola. Mr. dePaola has been published for over 40 years and has written and/or illustrated nearly 250 books, including Strega Nona, 26 Fairmount Avenue, and Christmas Remembered. Over 15 million copies of his books have sold worldwide. Mr. dePaola and his work have been recognized with many honors including the Smithson Medal from the Smithsonian Institution. The University of Connecticut, Georgetown University and Pratt Institute, among others, have granted him honorary doctoral degrees. In 1999, he was selected for the New Hampshire’s Governor’s Arts Award of Living Treasure. He lives in New London, New Hampshire, with his Airedale terrier, Brontë, and works in a renovated 200-year-old barn.
Mr. dePaola will return to the Norwich Bookstore Thanksgiving Weekend from 10:30 am until noon on Saturday, November 26th for his annual book signing. The bookstore will have a surplus of dePaola’s books on hand — both his new The Moon’s Almost Here and his classics. Come and meet Mr. dePaola and get books signed for your special young readers (or for yourself). And now, Mr. dePaola’s answers our three questions.
1.What three books have helped shape you into the artist and writer you are today, and why?
As an artist, and as a child: The d’Aulaires, Sheilah Beckett.
In Art School: Martin and Alice Provensen.
As a writer, and as a child: Little Women. In High School: Johnny Tremain. In Art School: The Brothers Karamazov, Higglety Pigglety Pop, and many more.
2.What author or illustrator (living or dead) would you most like to have a cup of coffee with and why?
Author: Gertrude Stein, because she really liked artists.
Artist (Illustrator): Jon Klassen
3.What books are currently on your bedside table?
The Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams
Mister Monkey by Francine Prose
Rilke’s Book of Hours
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