How lucky we all are to be in the midst of the most colorful time in picture books. Cultures from around the world feature prominently, like never before. You can truly visit the globe from the comfort of your living room couch.
Author Joana Pastro grew up in Brazil and she brings the joyous festival of Carnaval alive in her newest book, BISA’S CARNAVAL, due from Orchard Books/Scholastic on December 7th.
Joana, this book is so lively and colorful! Did seeing the illustrations by Carolina Coroa bring you back to the Carnaval of your childhood?
Certainly! Carolina did such an amazing job capturing the energy, the excitement, the joy of Carnaval, and also the fact that in those five days, Brazil means Carnaval! Everything else in the country stops. It’s all a big celebration. I also want to add that because Brazil is a big country, each region has its own slightly different way to celebrate. The one featured in the book is the one that happens in the city of Olinda. Carolina portrayed Carnaval, and everything that’s unique to Olinda’s celebration, like the giant dolls, the geography and the buildings (by the way, a UNESCO World Heritage site), in the most beautiful way. I truly feel transported every time I read the book. I love it!
Sometimes the best stories are inspired from our own childhoods. The magic is that we can refine them to our liking! What from your childhood remains in the story and what did you change?
Joy, excitement, energy, craft-making, and especially love and family are the big elements that remained from my childhood.
As for changes, the first change is the location. Carnaval in my city was joyful, exciting and fun, but it pales in comparison to the festivity in other cities. I changed to Olinda, because of its unique cultural aspects, especially the giant dolls parading along the street side-by-side with the revelers. I was always fascinated by those. They’re very poetic to me. Another change was that, in my childhood, it was my mom, not my great-grandmother, whom I watched zig-zagging at the sewing machine. She made and fixed our clothes, and she’d do all sorts of crafts with us. That taught us to be mindful of our resources, recycle, and not discard things so easily, and also a great way to spend time together as a family.
How does your family celebrate Carnaval now that you’re in America?
Unfortunately, I can’t say we celebrate it. We always know it’s happening, we follow it online and on TV, but that’s it. My children have always heard us talking about it, but it was only after I started writing BISA’S CARNAVAL that they became curious about it. In my interviews I always say that one of the reasons I wrote this book was because I wanted Brazilian-American children to feel proud of their heritage. I just realized that this is already happening with my own children. Who knew your interview would be so therapeutic?
What traditions do you follow and have you created any new ones?
Festa Junina is a religious festivity with dance, music, games, and lots of delicious food. We have our own version of that every year. It’s fun and there’s a lot of eating going on!
I love Christmas. It’s always been my favorite holiday. I decorate my whole house, we always have a baking and craft making session as a family, before actual decorating starts.
As Brazilian-Americans we’ve incorporated Halloween and Thanksgiving as a tradition. Halloween is about dressing up and candy. What’s not to like? When I first moved here, I loved the idea of Thanksgiving, a holiday that celebrates being being thankful. It took me a few years to realize its historical inaccuracies. Today I’m careful not to perpetuate them, and I focus on being grateful for our blessings.
Joana, thank you for sharing your beautiful version of Carnaval with us!
Blog readers, you can win a signed copy of BISA’S CARNAVAL. Just leave one comment below to enter. A random winner will be chosen at the end of the month.
Good luck!
Joana Pastro always wanted to be an artist of some sort. So, she became an architect. But once her first child was born, all the visits to the library, and the countless story times made Joana start dreaming of becoming a children’s book author. After a lot of reading, writing and revising, her dream came true. Her debut picture book, LILLYBELLE, A DAMSEL NOT IN DISTRESS, illustrated by Jhon Ortiz, was published by Boyds Mills Press in 2020. Her second book, BISA’S CARNAVAL, illustrated by Carolina Coroa will be published by Scholastic on December 7, 2021. Originally from Brazil, Joana now lives in Florida with her husband, her three extremely creative children, a rambunctious Morkie, and a needy Maltipoo. Visit her on Twitter @jopastro, Instagram @jopastro, or at joanapastro.com.
24 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 16, 2021 at 11:29 am
Bethanny Parker
Congrats on the new book. Carnaval sounds like a lot of fun! I hope I get to experience it someday.
November 16, 2021 at 11:47 am
Debra Shumaker
I love hearing more about your book and what influenced it. Cannot wait to hold a copy in my hands. Congrats, Joana!!!!!
November 16, 2021 at 12:00 pm
Kim A Larson
Congratulations, Joana! What an uplifting, joyful book! Thanks for sharing.
November 16, 2021 at 12:09 pm
Kassy Keppol
Thank you for sharing.
November 16, 2021 at 12:41 pm
kskeesling
I loved reading about the connection between your childhood experiences and how you adapted them for your beautiful book! Congratulations!
November 16, 2021 at 12:42 pm
Diane O'Neill
This sounds like a wonderful book! I can’t wait to read it!
November 16, 2021 at 12:45 pm
Judy Sobanski
Congratulation on your latest book! It looks like a joyful and colorful celebration that many kids and adults will love learning about!
November 16, 2021 at 3:14 pm
kathydoherty1
The story and the illustrations are DELICIOUS!
November 16, 2021 at 3:32 pm
pathaap
Sounds like a wonderful story. Congratulations, Joana!
November 16, 2021 at 5:17 pm
Brenda Huante
This sounds like such a fun book! Congratulations!
November 16, 2021 at 7:45 pm
Janet Frenck Sheets
Olinda sounds like a fascinating city! What a great setting for a picture book.
November 16, 2021 at 7:54 pm
seschipper
Wow I simply love family/ cultural traditions! Looking forward to reading and reviewing your book!!! Congratulations!! 🙂
November 16, 2021 at 8:12 pm
Diana Patton
Bisa’s Carnaval sounds like a very fun book to read and the illustrations are joyous. I love travel, in person, or….through books like this.
November 16, 2021 at 8:16 pm
ptnozell
I’m looking forward to reading this. Although I’ve never attended Carnival in Brazil, we enjoyed spending the winter (summer) holidays four years ago in Rio where we celebrated a second wedding reception for our daughter & her husband, who grew up there.
November 16, 2021 at 10:18 pm
Meredith Fraser
What a delightful cover! Looks like such a fun book. Can’t wait to read it. Congratulations!
November 17, 2021 at 3:53 am
Myrna Foster
I am so excited for this book! The cover is gorgeous. Thanks for this interview!
November 17, 2021 at 4:34 pm
YauMei Chiang
Joana, Thank you for sharing. Culture is fun to explore!
November 17, 2021 at 6:40 pm
chaunceyelephant
Thank you for reaching into your childhood and sharing such a delightful memory!
November 17, 2021 at 8:46 pm
Elayne
You can feel the love and excitement that was put into this book from the interview, let alone the book–which also looks completely wonderful. 🙂 Congrats and good luck with your impending launch!
November 18, 2021 at 3:11 am
Suzanne Lewis
What a joy to share different cultural traditions and events in a story book format! Thank you Joana!
November 18, 2021 at 9:57 am
authorlaurablog
Congratulations on this beautiful book, Joana!
November 18, 2021 at 10:38 am
Angie
So colorful and energetic! Congratulations!
November 19, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Jilanne Hoffmann
Looking forward to reading tis book! Congrats!
November 23, 2021 at 5:49 pm
Sarah Meade
Congratulations, Joana!