A Visit with Author Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo '90
In the Trustey Family Theatre, visiting children's author and alumna Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo '90 delighted third through fifth graders when she shared memories from her time as a Shore Lower Schooler. DiLorenzo is the author of two picture books. Her first, Renato and the Lion, was listed among the best children's books of 2018 by Bank Street, was named a Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People 2018 by the Children's Book Council, and was a fall 2017 Junior Library Guild selection. Her newest book, Quincy, was published in February 2018.
A prolific artist and creative writer even as a young student, DiLorenzo admitted that as a third grader in the classroom of late Lower School Head and teacher Anita Barbato, she had illustrated an adorable cow, and had mischievously made it look like the animal "was pooping." "I thought I'd get in trouble," she said, "but Mrs. Barbato appreciated the drawing, and kept it framed on her office wall for years."
Her teachers' encouragement of all forms of creativity was the running thread in DiLorenzo's exchanges with students during her April 25 visit to Shore. She credited Shore teachers with providing early support for her artistic endeavors. Two Upper School English teachers, Joanne Harder and Judith Lais, had given her a major boost by recognizing her work with a creative writing award at her ninth grade gradutaion. "I was sure there were more talented writers in the grade" she recalled, "but they must have sensed that I needed a feather in my cap to boost my confidence. It really made a difference in the rest of my life and the trajectory of my career."
Her teachers' hunch about their ninth grade student was spot-on: DiLorenzo went on to receive her BFA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, and to study painting at the Art Students League of New York. In 2014 she received the Dorothy Markinko Scholarship Award from the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. She is a signature member in the New England Watercolor Society as well as the Society of Illustrators. Currently she teaches at the Arts Council of Princeton, and is co-president of the Children’s Book Illustrators Group of New York.
During her visit to Shore, DiLorenzo talked about the inspiration and research behind her first book, Renato and the Lion. Building the story on extensive research about Italy during Word War II, DiLorenzo noted that third grade teacher Sam Hamlin, who introduced her to students on the stage of the Trustey Family Theatre, was responsible for her realization that admitting to not knowing something could prompt new discoveries. In a science class, Hamlin had asked another student if she knew the answer, and when she said that she didn't, Hamlin had acknowledged how valuable that admission was. "That honesty was really great to hear," DiLorenzo said. "It gave me permission throughout my life to not always know the answer, to go learn more or ask for help to find it. And for someone who was not very enthusiastic about research when I was a student, Renato and the Lion turned out to be one giant research project that I fell in love with."
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A prolific artist and creative writer even as a young student, DiLorenzo admitted that as a third grader in the classroom of late Lower School Head and teacher Anita Barbato, she had illustrated an adorable cow, and had mischievously made it look like the animal "was pooping." "I thought I'd get in trouble," she said, "but Mrs. Barbato appreciated the drawing, and kept it framed on her office wall for years."
Her teachers' encouragement of all forms of creativity was the running thread in DiLorenzo's exchanges with students during her April 25 visit to Shore. She credited Shore teachers with providing early support for her artistic endeavors. Two Upper School English teachers, Joanne Harder and Judith Lais, had given her a major boost by recognizing her work with a creative writing award at her ninth grade gradutaion. "I was sure there were more talented writers in the grade" she recalled, "but they must have sensed that I needed a feather in my cap to boost my confidence. It really made a difference in the rest of my life and the trajectory of my career."
Her teachers' hunch about their ninth grade student was spot-on: DiLorenzo went on to receive her BFA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, and to study painting at the Art Students League of New York. In 2014 she received the Dorothy Markinko Scholarship Award from the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. She is a signature member in the New England Watercolor Society as well as the Society of Illustrators. Currently she teaches at the Arts Council of Princeton, and is co-president of the Children’s Book Illustrators Group of New York.
During her visit to Shore, DiLorenzo talked about the inspiration and research behind her first book, Renato and the Lion. Building the story on extensive research about Italy during Word War II, DiLorenzo noted that third grade teacher Sam Hamlin, who introduced her to students on the stage of the Trustey Family Theatre, was responsible for her realization that admitting to not knowing something could prompt new discoveries. In a science class, Hamlin had asked another student if she knew the answer, and when she said that she didn't, Hamlin had acknowledged how valuable that admission was. "That honesty was really great to hear," DiLorenzo said. "It gave me permission throughout my life to not always know the answer, to go learn more or ask for help to find it. And for someone who was not very enthusiastic about research when I was a student, Renato and the Lion turned out to be one giant research project that I fell in love with."
The book tells the touching, magical story of a boy in war-torn Florence, Italy, and the stone lion that magically comes to life to rescue him. According to DiLorenzo, "The idea for Renato and the Lion began over a decade ago, on a family trip in 2006. We were visiting Italian family in Treviso, and decided to take a detour to Florence. On a visit to the Bargello, a museum in Florence containing mostly sculptures, something magical happened. Near the courtyard where two white lions stand guard by a doorway, my three-year-old son wholeheartedly believed that one of them was alive."
This interaction haunted DiLorenzo, and she began to draw a boy character with a stone lion, come to life. However, it wasn't until she happened to learn from a documentary film about the protection of artworks in World War II Europe that the story began to take its final shape. After researching wartime Italy through libraries in the United States, she said, she took a solo trip to Florence. "For ten days in 2015, I wandered around Florence, frantically sketching, taking tours, and trying to learn from people who had lived through the war. I met a bookseller, Enrico Rossi, who was seven years old in 1944. I hired a local guide to translate while I interviewed him. I learned enough to make a few more books out of his information! When I left Italy, I only had one carry-on bag, but it was filled to the brim with 15 books and loads of sketches and paintings."
All of her discoveries informed various aspects of Renato and the Lion; DiLorenzo said, "It helped me feel confident about where my characters were placed in the illustrations, and whether the things they did could actually have happened." Still, she admitted, "I know not everything is perfect in the book, but to me, there is a freshness to the way I was working that makes the story feel like it's in motion. Nevertheless, I could keep working on this book forever. I'm certain there is still more research out there to be uncovered, or illustrations to refine. I wonder if other authors and illustrators ever feel like they are truly finished with their work?"
DiLorenzo spent part of her visit to Shore in Beth White's Pre-K 2 classroom, where DiLorenzo led a drawing workshop based on her newest book, Quincy, about a creative chameleon who can't seem to fit in. In the book, Quincy wants to love chameleon school, but he's not very good at blending in. No matter how hard he tries to stop it from happening, all of his thoughts keep popping up on his skin. The only thing Quincy loves about school is painting during art class with his favorite teacher, Mrs. Lin. "But can painting help him find a way to blend in?" DiLorenzo asked.
Pre-K students learned how to draw Quincy with help from DiLorenzo, and enjoyed filling him in with colorful thoughts and feelings. The author shared how the character of Quincy connected with her own experiences at Shore. "When I was a student," DiLorenzo explained, "I often felt different, too. I noticed that some of my friends were excelling at academics, but every report card of mine noted, 'Barbara daydreams in class.' My friends just always seemed to know what to say, and I struggled with that and became very shy." But it was okay, DiLorenzo said. "That discomfort was an incredible opportunity for growth. It really informed my creative work, and in the case of Quincy, it literally became material for a book."
Today, she said, many of her Shore classmates, even those she might have felt very "different" from, have become supporters of her career. "That's something I never realized when I was young: that these people would be lifelong friends and supporters. It's something I truly appreciate." According to DiLorenzo, seeing old classmates and teachers on her visit to Shore was amazing. "I discovered that my Shore family is still there for me."
This interaction haunted DiLorenzo, and she began to draw a boy character with a stone lion, come to life. However, it wasn't until she happened to learn from a documentary film about the protection of artworks in World War II Europe that the story began to take its final shape. After researching wartime Italy through libraries in the United States, she said, she took a solo trip to Florence. "For ten days in 2015, I wandered around Florence, frantically sketching, taking tours, and trying to learn from people who had lived through the war. I met a bookseller, Enrico Rossi, who was seven years old in 1944. I hired a local guide to translate while I interviewed him. I learned enough to make a few more books out of his information! When I left Italy, I only had one carry-on bag, but it was filled to the brim with 15 books and loads of sketches and paintings."
All of her discoveries informed various aspects of Renato and the Lion; DiLorenzo said, "It helped me feel confident about where my characters were placed in the illustrations, and whether the things they did could actually have happened." Still, she admitted, "I know not everything is perfect in the book, but to me, there is a freshness to the way I was working that makes the story feel like it's in motion. Nevertheless, I could keep working on this book forever. I'm certain there is still more research out there to be uncovered, or illustrations to refine. I wonder if other authors and illustrators ever feel like they are truly finished with their work?"
DiLorenzo spent part of her visit to Shore in Beth White's Pre-K 2 classroom, where DiLorenzo led a drawing workshop based on her newest book, Quincy, about a creative chameleon who can't seem to fit in. In the book, Quincy wants to love chameleon school, but he's not very good at blending in. No matter how hard he tries to stop it from happening, all of his thoughts keep popping up on his skin. The only thing Quincy loves about school is painting during art class with his favorite teacher, Mrs. Lin. "But can painting help him find a way to blend in?" DiLorenzo asked.
Pre-K students learned how to draw Quincy with help from DiLorenzo, and enjoyed filling him in with colorful thoughts and feelings. The author shared how the character of Quincy connected with her own experiences at Shore. "When I was a student," DiLorenzo explained, "I often felt different, too. I noticed that some of my friends were excelling at academics, but every report card of mine noted, 'Barbara daydreams in class.' My friends just always seemed to know what to say, and I struggled with that and became very shy." But it was okay, DiLorenzo said. "That discomfort was an incredible opportunity for growth. It really informed my creative work, and in the case of Quincy, it literally became material for a book."
Today, she said, many of her Shore classmates, even those she might have felt very "different" from, have become supporters of her career. "That's something I never realized when I was young: that these people would be lifelong friends and supporters. It's something I truly appreciate." According to DiLorenzo, seeing old classmates and teachers on her visit to Shore was amazing. "I discovered that my Shore family is still there for me."
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A Visit With Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo '90
Video: A Visit With Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo '90
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Barbara Willcox DiLorenzo with (from left to right) Pre-K teacher Beth White, past English teachers Judith Lais and Joanne Harder, third grade teacher Sam Hamlin, past teacher Barbara Drummond, and alumna and parent of two current students Alison McMaster '92
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An image from 'Renato and the Lion'
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Sam Hamlin introducing DiLorenzo in the Trustey Family Theatre
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DiLorenzo reading with Pre-K students
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