Q&A with Jeanne Pettenati
Q: Galileo's Journal: 1609 -1610 is your first children's book. What inspired you to write it?
A: Years ago I was in a book club and we read Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel. I really enjoyed learning about Galileo and wished that I knew more about him and astronomy. So I began to read everything I could about Galileo. I also wanted to teach my children about him and looked for children's books. I found several biographies, including the excellent one by Peter Sis, but these were all written in the third person. I began to imagine Galileo telling his story in his own words.
Q: How did you come up with the idea of Galileo writing in a journal?
A: Initially, my manuscript was not in a journal format. My wonderful editor at Charlesbridge, Alyssa Pusey, suggested that I rewrite the story in the form of a journal that Galileo kept while he embarked on his initial discoveries. She thought that children would relate well to a story in journal format because many children in elementary classrooms now keep journals at school. And I do get very positive feedback from both teachers and children about the way the story is constructed.
Q: Several reviewers have described the illustrations as "beautiful." Are you happy with the way they turned out?
A: I love the illustrations in the book. The artist, Paolo Rui, is very talented. While he was working on the illustrations, my input was solicited from time to time. I had the good fortune to meet Paolo Rui while he was working on the art. My family and I traveled to Italy for three weeks that summer. We also tried to see Galileo's telescopes in the Museum of Science in Florence. But the one day we were in Florence the museum workers were on strike! I never did get to see Galileo's telescopes. I guess I have to go back and try again.
Q: How has the book been received?
A: I think the book has received a lot of positive attention. McGraw-Hill selected it for its 2008 Open Court Reading Program. Last November I was one of two first-time children's book authors invited to participate in the first annual Delaware Book Festival. And The Washington Post KidsPost chose Galileo's Journal as its Book of the Week on December 31, 2006. So my year started off in a great way!
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am writing a story based on the experiences of a relative's family in the 1930s. It takes place in New York City and Italy in the time of Mussolini. The story is historical fiction for middle school children.
Q: When do you to find time to write?
A: I like to write at night after my children are asleep. Occasionally, I write during the day but there are too many distractions, appointments, etc. During the day I think about my characters, do research, and try to figure out what to include in this chapter or that chapter. I also have made a few school visits, which have been a lot of fun.
Q: Who are some of your favorite children's book authors?
A: Over the last 10 years, I have reviewed children's books for Children's Literature, so I have been fortunate to read a wide selection of books. I have been impressed with the works of Cornelia Funke, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Cynthia Rylant, Donna Jo Napoli and Mem Fox. In addition, my 11-year-old daughter has introduced me to Louis Sachar, Eva Ibbotson, and Andrew Clements, whose work I also admire.
Q: What books impressed you as a child?
A: As a child, I really enjoyed reading the All-of-a-kind Family books by Sydney Taylor. I also loved Baby Island and The Pink Motel by Carol Ryrie-Brink. And of course, The Little Princess or Sarah Crewe, as it was called then, by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I was an avid reader and enjoyed every Nancy Drew book as well other mysteries. As a very young child, I remember loving the Babar books and other fairy tales.
Reviews
Galileo's Journal, 1609-1610
Jeanne K. Pettenati
Illustrated by Paolo Rui
Galileo Galilei was an intellectual pioneer of his times, whose observations of the night sky changed how people saw Earth's place in the solar system. The author carefully weaves fact with fiction to create an intriguing peek at the man's process and discoveries during a momentous year. Through this imagined journal, Galileo emerges as a resourceful, enthusiastic fellow, training his spyglass (telescope) on the heavens and recording and publishing his thoughts about Jupiter's four moons. Informative notes at the end provide biographical details beyond this year. Pettenati's accessible prose and her creation of a pet dog for Galileo will engage young readers from the first diary entry as will Italian artist Rui's paintings of a curious young man, eager pup and stars and planets. 2006, Charlesbridge, $16.95 and $6.95. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum (Children's Literature).
Galileo is known today for his studies of the stars and the solar system, but his use of scientific methods to conduct his studies and experiments was as revolutionary as his discoveries. Jeanne Pettenati has created a journal that Galileo might have written during one brief year when he used trial and error to create a telescope--or spyglass as he called it--and then asked questions about what he saw when he looked at Jupiter with his spyglass. He was always ready to try new experiments and observations to find the answers to his questions. What are the bright stars next to Jupiter? What if the stars and Jupiter are all moving? His conclusions made his real book The Starry Messenger a bestseller of his day, but it also infuriated the religious authorities, who prevented him from traveling or teaching anymore. The book makes an important but ancient man a little more human. The illustrations are adequate with the best rendering of Galileo on the cover, where the glint in his eye draws the reader in to share the quest. Pettenati's notes include a brief biography, as well as an explanation of precisely where she took liberties in creating Galileo's journal. 2006, Charlesbridge, $16.95 and $6.95. Ages 6 to 12. Reviewer: Karen Leggett (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-57091-879-1
ISBN: 1-57091-880-5
Added 01/31/07
To stay up to date on new books by this author, consider subscribing to The Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. For your free trial, click here.
If you’re interested in reviewing children's and young adult books, then send a resume and writing sample to marilyn@childrenslit.com.