The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Kimberley Lovato and Review of Pisa Loves Bella

Kimberley Lovato is a native Californian with a peripatetic soul. She’s a freelance journalist, book author, champagne lover, and committed Francophile. When not plotting her next trip to France or around the Golden State, she’s tapping away at her keyboard, sailing, cooking, reading, hiking, hosting dinner parties, and belly laughing with family and friends.

Kimberley’s byline has appeared in the New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Virtuoso: The Magazine, CNN Travel, Saturday Evening Post, AARP, Hemispheres, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Ciao Bambino and many others. Her personal travel essays have been published in "The Best Women’s Travel Writing" and other anthologies. She’s also the award-winning author of several guidebooks, including her Lowell Thomas Award-Winning book, “Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves.”

Last year, she was part of a team of contributing writers to National Geographic’s “Great Outdoors U.S.A.,” a meaty travel tome packed with 1,000 adventures across all 50 states, released in August 2023.

Her debut picture book, Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness, was released on June 30th.

Welcome Kimberley, thanks for stopping by to talk about your debut, rhyming picture book.

Hi Maria. Thanks for inviting me.

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? What is your favorite type of book to write?)

Looking back over my life, I think I have always been a writer at heart---writing skits that I and the neighbor kids would perform for our parents. We also wrote our own MadLibs. I read a lot of books that I loved, too, but for some reason never connected the dots that real people wrote them, and that maybe I could to.

When I got out of college, I was sitting in my cubicle at my soul-crushing job when a colleague called me out. “You look miserable here. If you could do anything in the world, taking money out of the equation, what would you do?” I answered without hesitation, “I would be a writer.”

In my late 20s, I applied for a job at a local community newspaper. I had taken many journalism classes, and an editor took a chance on me. I have now been freelance writing articles ---lifestyle, travel, culture, food---for close to 20 years.

I mostly write from my home office in California. I am a morning person, so I like to be at my desk by 8:30 a.m., after some coffee and exercise. I try to write something every day and “something” could be several chapters or thousands of words, or as simple as a few ideas, a character name, or a scene. Writing is a habit and showing up to the desk is important.

Writing children’s books is something I have long wanted to do. I even took classes and attended workshops over the years, but I got busy being a mom, working and life-ing.

When COVID-19 stopped travel and travel writing in its tracks, I had the time I needed to resurrect that distant dream and pair it with my wanderlust.

I dove into the nuts and bolts of how to do it. Picture books are a completely different style of writing, and the process took some studying. Best of all, I discovered a new zeal and fire that had been missing in my daily writing life.

I don’t want to turn back. Writing for children is all I want to do now.

It's so nice to meet you. What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?

I write anywhere since my laptop almost always travels with me. I started my first book, Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves (now out of print but available through my website), at a friend’s house in Vaison-La-Romaine, France. I inked the publishing deal for Pisa Loves Bella in France. France brings me good luck and inspiration, I guess.

For work, I have filed stories from a river boat in Vietnam and from a barge in France. From a ramshackle apartment on a Croatian island and from a rustic cabin on Lake Winnipeg, Canada. Deadlines don’t understand weekends or holidays.

France does seem to be lucky for you! What was your spark of curiosity or inspiration for Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness?

Book cover - Bella, the leaning tower of Pisa , greats a visiting girl and her dog.

Travel was my initial inspiration, but a book about kindness seemed appropriate too. The world feels extra viscous right now, from the highest echelons of society down into our schools and playgrounds.

Most kids, I believe, are born with the capacity to be loving and kind. They are taught to be mean and mimic the bad (and good) behavior they see around them. So, a book that sparked wanderlust while sprinkling in messages of kindness and acceptance felt both timely and universal.

My own experience being teased as a kid played in the story too. I have red hair and freckles. Before the magic of braces, my teeth were so crooked one was turned backwards in my mouth. And the kicker---my last name was Dumm, pronounced Dumb. Yep, the jokes basically wrote themselves. Luckily, I, like my character Bella, leaned into the kindness of family and good friends who helped boost my confidence.

Oh, I can just imagine. I am so sorry about the teasing. How did the writing and journey to publication of Pisa Loves Bella compare to some of your travel books? Was it easier or harder?

That’s a great question. I love writing travel articles, but writing travel guides, while exciting, can also be tedious. There are only so many ways to describe a train station or a restaurant or a hotel room, you know? It can be a challenge to find new ways to say the same things.

Yet, writing a children’s book, especially a picture book, and a rhyming one at that, was much harder.

There were ‘rules’ that I had to learn (and break) and word counts to adhere to, and lessons to impart without sounding preachy. But it was also a lot more fun to write.

Sounds like you really enjoyed the process, even if it was a challenge. How long did it take from the first draft to publication for Pisa Loves Bella?

I have roughly 15-16 drafts saved, maybe more, of different versions of Pisa Loves Bella. My publisher, Margie, of MB Publishing, is wonderfully detailed and thorough. She wanted this book to be as good as I did. Sometimes we spent an hour on the phone talking about four words or one stanza. We rewrote it over and over and over until it felt right.

So, from the first round of edits to that final stamp of approval and publishing took more than a year.

I am very proud of what came of all that hard work.

And I imagine doing it in rhyme caused a fair number of those revisions. When you first saw Barbara Bongini’s illustrations, did anything surprise or amaze you? Which is your favorite spread?

Barbara’s work is pure joy! I teared up seeing my words brought to vibrant life through her art. It exceeded all my expectations. I was struck by how detailed her work was. The buildings and statues, the expressions on each lovely face. Everything was thoughtful and careful.

Internal spread - celebration by the town of Pisa to celebrate the famous leaning tower. Baloons, food, canfetti, families, and a leaning cake.

Text © Kimberley Lovato, 2024. Image © Barbara Bongini. 2024.

My favorite spread is the one on the piazza, when “a colossal commotion was well underway.” There is so much to look at: food, outfits, faces, signs, buildings, animals. It’s fabulous and embodies the convivial spirit of Italy, I think.

This is a great image and I love the leaning cake. What was the hardest part of writing Pisa Loves Bella? What was the most fun?

Coming up with a story was difficult. I had an idea but turning it into a story with a beginning, middle and end, a character arc, a universal takeaway/ lesson, and all the things a good story needs was a real mind bender.

Hard too, but the most fun, was the rhyming. It’s not easy to tell a story in rhyme. Finding words and turns of phrases that work without sounding superfluous or out of context was like solving a puzzle.

I’m probably dating myself, but I often referred to the writing and editing of Pisa Loves Bella as my Rubik’s Cube. Every day, I sat down and twisted and turned things around in my manuscript until one day…voila! The colored squares of my story lined up.

Definitely different from travel articles! I love your analogy! What's something you want your readers to know about Pisa Loves Bella?

First and foremost, I want parents, teachers, and kids to love it, to talk about what it means to be kind and a friend, maybe learn a few Italian phrases, and to enjoy reading off a screen.

Deeper than that, I’d like people to know the book was not only born from my experience being teased as a kid, but also from decades spent traversing our diverse planet and experiencing the wonder of its places and people. Travel is a privilege and a teacher. And by travel I don’t just mean far flung places. We can travel in our own cities and neighborhoods too.

During my career as a travel journalist, being open-minded and curious has led me to hearths and homes vastly different than my own and has made me realize, without question, that we humans are more similar than different. Most of us want the same things in life: the ability to put food on the table and shelter over our heads; education, health, and prosperity for our children; a loving and supportive community to lean on in times of need.

When kindness and respect are our guides, the world looks vastly different than when cruelty and judgement filter the view.

Will people take that from the book, I don’t know. But that’s where my heart was leaning when I wrote it.

If even a few do, it will make the world a better place. Are there any new children’s book projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

Thanks for asking. I am finishing up what I hope (fingers crossed) will be the next book in this series with the Eiffel Tower as my main character. MB Publishing must accept it first, but I hope readers get to find out what the world’s most recognizable landmark gets up to when she takes some time off and how the world’s most visited city (Paris) reacts. As they say in French, “On verra!” We’ll see!

Sounds intriguing, bonne chance! Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

Okay, I’m going to share a secret. I am a native Californian and have NEVER been to Yosemite. I know! I know! I can hear the tongue clicks from here! My husband and I are planning to visit soon. 😲

I love the Lake Tahoe region. My grandparents had a small cabin on the lake when I was growing up and my heartstrings tug me back to the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, the sapphire blue water, and the smell of pine trees.

For urban dwellers, local parks are treasures. I love Golden Gate Park in San Francisco where I can see bison and Dutch windmills, walk through a Japanese Tea Garden, and visit a world-class museum all in one day.

I recently visited a friend in New Orleans and went to City Park where I discovered there are 900-year-old oak trees. 900 years old! Imagine that! There’s also an antique carousel, life-sized storybook exhibits, lakes, an art museum, cafes, bike trails, an equestrian farm…it’s an entire world spread around 1300 acres. It was so unexpected, in the best possible way.

Proof that traveling comes in many forms, and our own backyards can be as inspiring as landing in a foreign country.

Hope you enjoy Yosemite; it really is stunning. Thank you, Kimberley, for stopping by to share about yourself and your newest picture book. It was wonderful to chat with you.

Thank you, Maria! Or as Bella would say, “Grazie mille!”

To find out more about Kimberley Lovato, or contact her:

Website: https://kimberleylovato.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kimberleylovato/

Review of Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness

Written in rhyming quatrains, with a touch of Italian sprinkled throughout, this picture book explores what it means to be oneself - slightly different, unique, and 'one-of-a-kind,' It's a look at how adjusting to please others doesn't always work and might diminish a very special quality of oneself.

Pisa Loves Bella: A Towering Tale of Kindness

Author: Kimberley Lovato

Illustrator: Barbara Bongini

Publisher: MB Publishing (2024)

Ages: 4-8

Fiction

Themes:

Kindness, being yourself, teasing, Italy, and rhyming.

Synopsis:

Welcome to Pisa!

I'm thrilled you dropped by.

I'm Bella the bell tower-

Eight stories high!

And so begins this uplifting rhyming tale told by Bella, Italy's famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. For hundreds of years, Bella has felt proud of her gravity-defying tilt. But her confidence is tested one day when she overhears hurtful words about her appearance. Bella responds by making a big change, one that leaves the residents of Pisa and visitors from around the world worried that their treasured tower will never be the same again.

Opening Lines:

Ciao!

Welcome to Pisa!

I'm thrilled you dropped by.

I'm Bella the bell tower -

Eight stories high!

You'll note I'm not perfect -

My posture is slanted.

But even so, people

Are charmed and enchanted.

What I LOVED about this book:

In an interesting twist, Kimberley Lovato's story about the leaning tower of Pisa is told from the first-person point of view of the building itself - Bella, the bell tower. From the opening lines, a sprinkle of Italian enhances the international feel of the story as Bella tells her tale to a visiting young girl and her dog.

Internal spread - girl and her dog greet Bella . On the right families take funny picture with Bella and a youngboy hugs her.

Although many people loved Bella, one day four "meanies . . . turned up their noses." Barbara Bongini's colorful and imaginative illustrations viscerally capture Bella's emotions and "broken spirits" with their shift in tone and spreading cracks.

Internal spread - on the left, four kids saying mean things to/about Bella. On the right, Bella changing from yellow and orange to blue and grey, with her sections cracking, and blowing her nose.

In response, Bella changed herself. She huffed and puffed all night. And by morning, she stood tall and straight. Although initially excited by her new views, her friend, the mayor, reminded her that "sharp, thorny words . . . hurt beyond measure/ If you let them take root/ And forget you're a treasure." His words, the reactions of visitors, and the concerns and love of the city of Pisa soon had her back to herself and "leaning with ease."

The gentle ending encourages kindness and grace to ourselves and others. A glossary provides definitions and pronunciation for the Italian words and a "Word about Bella" note offers historic information about the Pisa bell tower's construction and repairs. This is a heartfelt tale highlighting the harm words can have, and advocating for kindness and acceptance of the unique qualities which make us each special.

Resources:

Photo of 8 paper cups made into the leaning tower of Pisa.

make and decorate your own paper cup Bella (Leaning Tower of Pisa)
chose kindness over silence or bullying and be a friend to classmates, teammates, and neighbors.
check out the fun activities on Kimberley's website.

If you're in the area, check out Kimberley Lovato's upcoming events:

Wednesday, August 7, 2024, 6 pm Pisa Loves Bella Launch Party @ Sausalito Books By The Bay 100 Bay Street Sausalito, CA 94965

Wednesday, September 11, 2024, 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Storytime + kindness crafts @ Mitchell Park Library Palo Alto 3700 Middlefield Rd Palo Alto, CA 94303
Saturday, October 5, 2024, 10:30 am Storytime + kindness craft @ BookPeople in Austin, Texas