• Interview with Nancy Castaldo •

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An Interview with Nancy Castaldo

by Debbi Michiko Florence

Nancy Castaldo is the author of some wonderful activity books for young children. Parent’s Choice has honored The Little Hands Nature Book with a 1996 Doing and Learning Approval. Rainy Day Play! was selected an American Bookseller’s Pick of the Lists.

A native of New York’s Hudson Valley, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Marymount College and a Master of Arts from the State University of New York at Albany. She is a board member of the Children’s Literature Connection and Historical Novel Society Conference. Nancy is also a reviewer for the Historical Novel Society’s REVIEW.

As an environmental educator, author, and Girl Scout volunteer, she has led numerous children’s workshops. She lives in upstate New York with her husband, daughter, dog, and two cats. To learn more about Nancy and her books check out her web site at www.nancycastaldo.com.

This fall, Nancy makes her debut as a picture book writer with Pizza for the Queen, illustrated by Melisande Potter. (Holiday House, 2005)

Did you always want to be a writer? Tell us a little about how you came to be a writer for children.

I didn’t always want to be a writer, but I was always an avid reader. I devoured books as a child, as so many writers do. For a long time I wanted to be a veterinarian because it was the only job I knew of that involved working with animals — and I loved animals as much as books! It took me a while to realize that I could combine all my interests — animals, the outdoors, travel, history, and food, with writing. Now I feel like I have the best job of all because each book lets me learn more and play more with the things I love.

You have several wonderful nonfiction activity guide books published. My favorites include the one on Rainforests and the one on Deserts (for more info about Nancy’s book, see sidebar for a complete list). What do you like about writing these books?

All of us can make a difference in this world. These books allow me to give children ways in which they can also make an impact on the environment. Each time I write a book about a natural topic I strive to empower kids to keep learning and make a difference wherever they may live. For myself, I find that each of these books helps me to continue my own learning and my own activism.

Congratulations on your debut picture book, PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN (Holiday House, 2005, illustrated by Melisande Potter)! What a mouthwatering book about the creation of the Pizza Margherita. How did you get the idea for this story?

I have to admit I eat a lot of pizza. Although Fridays are my family's traditional pizza night one or two other nights often sneak in to the week. Of course we vary the toppings. If that wasn't enough incentive to write PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN, my grandfather came from the heart of the pizza world near Naples, Italy. Heaven for me is sitting on the Postitano beach eating pizza. As a lover of history and research, I couldn't go wrong putting together the two. PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN tells the story of the first Pizza Margherita and includes a recipe for readers to try. I love sharing the stories behind things I love.

What was different about writing a fiction picture book versus your activity guidebooks? Did you face any particularly difficult challenges?

The guidebooks involve a great deal of research, but not as much imagination as the picture books. I can be lengthy in my telling when I work on the guidebooks, but words are gold in the picture book. I have to be very precise when I am working within 32 pages versus 120. It’s almost as if each book is written from a different half of my brain. I enjoy both!

What do you like about writing fiction?

Fiction allows you to tell a great tale. What's more fun than that? I love imagining dialogue and letting my words put a reader into a different time and place.

How much research did you do for PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN?

Did I tell you that I love eating pizza? Ha ha. Well, that was only part of the research. The other part involved delving into old Naples and the Queen of Italy, Queen Margherita. My travels to Italy definitely helped me visualize what I was writing and knowing the language well enough to be able to translate some of the documents was also a plus. I love the research part of all my books. For me it's the icing on the writing cake or in this case the cheese on the pizza!

Please share with us the journey from idea to published book of PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN. What process did you go through? Did you have to do any revisions? Tell us about "the call"!

I had written a very basic picture book and sent it off to Holiday House for their consideration. It was rejected with a detailed editorial letter. At the same time I was asked again to join a critique group by my friend, author Coleen Paratore. I decided to give it a shot and brought along the rejected version of PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN. Well, it was wonderful. I was able to bounce ideas off of the crit group members and get immediate feedback. I went right home that night and rewrote the story. A couple of weeks after I sent it off again to Holiday House it was accepted. YAY!!!!! It was the first book my editor, Jennifer Shalant, acquired, so it was equally exciting for her. During the production process Jennifer left Holiday House, but fortunately it was kept on with an enthusiastic editor and team. It was such a thrill to see Melisande's initial sketches and her finished artwork. I am so pleased with the finished product. I feel like Melisande captured everything as I imagined.

Your birthday falls on International Pizza Day! Is your love for pizza a coincidence? What's your favorite pizza?

Perhaps I was destined to write this book — that or open a pizza parlor! I love pretty much anything on my pizza, but if I had to pick some favorites, I'd say spinach, anchovies, ricotta, and pepperoni. Of course, that's not all on the same pizza!

What are you working on now? What can fans expect next?

I have another activity guide on the way. RIVER WILD: An Activity Guide to North American Rivers, published by Chicago Review Press, will be released in Spring 2006. I'm also working on another picture book and a young adult novel.

Do you have a web site? Do you do school visits?

I do have a web site. Readers can find out more about my books and interests at www.nancycastaldo.com . Yes, I do school visits. Many times my school visits are customized for the curriculum, but a sampling can be found on my site. I’m looking forward to lots of pizza parties combined with readings of PIZZA FOR THE QUEEN!