Podcast

Tracy is the creative mind behind two remarkable and emotionally resonant books, “Sorry Snail” and “Jenny Mei is Sad”. Her work beautifully combines storytelling and visual artistry to explore important themes of empathy, friendship, and emotional expression in a way that both children and adults can relate to.
“Sorry Snail” takes young readers on an enchanting journey with a snail who learns the power of a heartfelt apology and the joy of forgiveness. On the other hand, “Jenny Mei is Sad” navigates the complex emotions of a young girl as she grapples with the feeling of sadness and the comfort she finds in the support of her loved ones. Both books not only entertain but also offer valuable life lessons that can help children understand and navigate their own emotions. In this episode, we talked about these two books and how to handle the big emotions in children’s lives. 

Felicita was born in Rome but grew up in Perth, Australia. She graduated with Honors in Philosophy from the University of Western Australia. She moved back to Italy in 2007, where she taught herself illustration and very slowly started making picture books. Over the years, she collaborated on various papercut animations with her husband, animator Gianluca Maruotti. She now works as a full-time illustrator. In this episode, we mainly focused on discussing her two authored recipe books Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street and A Year in Fleurville, as well as her favorite story illustrated by herself — The Hideout. Besides books, Felicita told us many funny stories from her childhood and some of her advice as a parent and a teacher. 

Joe Todd-Stanton is a highly acclaimed author and illustrator known for his captivating children’s books. With a background in illustration and a passion for storytelling, Joe has created a collection of imaginative and visually stunning works that have captured the hearts of young readers and garnered critical acclaim. Joe has been recognized with awards such as the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and his book The Comet has won Yoto Carnegie Shadowers’ Choice Medal for Illustration 2023. In this episode, we touched topics like: What was his reading experience like as a child? Why most of the main characters in his books are girls? What is the process behind creating his picture books and their backstories? Why isn’t he worried about the challenges posed by AI etc. Listen on and find out more!