Today’s post comes to us from Angela Roberts.

Felicita Sala is an author and illustrator whose work I return to again and again. I have read and reread her stories and frequently recommend them to my patrons. My first encounter with Sala’s work was about six or seven years ago, on the recommendation of a librarian in Rome. At the time, her name and books were new to me. I ordered Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street for our school library and was immediately captivated. The illustrations felt whimsical and deeply familiar. 

Although Sala is best known for her illustrations, she has also added author to her resume with a handful of books that she has written in French, Italian, and English – all having been translated into a number of other languages. Lunch at 10 Pomegranate Street (2019), written and illustrated by Sala, was first published in French as Au 10, Rue des Jardins (2018, translated by Géraldine Chognard), introduces readers to the residents of an apartment building as each prepares a dish to share with their neighbors. Each subsequent page includes drawings of the ingredients and the full recipe for the dish being prepared. The font chosen makes it feel as if you are reading a handwritten recipe book and the illustrations, with muted tones, brings the reader a sense of calm and a bit of nostalgia as one thinks of a recipe from their own home that could fit in with this group of neighbors. This book carries the beautiful message that food has the power to build community and bring people together across cultures. It has been translated into 18 languages.

Similar to 10 Pomegranate Street, A Year in Fleurville: Recipes from Balconies, Rooftops and Gardens (2021), originally published in French as Un an à Fleurville (2021), and translated by Géraldine Chognard, follows a similar format. The reader follows the community of Fleurville as spring arrives and the gardens are in bloom, celebrating seasonal harvests. Each month’s harvest is introduced on one page with the following page including a recipe card. For example, in April, Maria gathers asparagus from the garden. The next page shows us the beautifully illustrated ingredients and a recipe for asparagus quiche. The story continues like this for each of the months of the year and concludes with spring again and community members coming together to picnic in the park. 

The most recent book that Sala has written and illustrated, published in 2024, is called If You Run Out of Words. The story is inspired by a question that was asked by her daughter. Sala turned this question into an imaginative and loving story between father and daughter that encourages the child’s curiosity while showing the creativity and love of the father through his storytelling. 

Over the last decade Felicita Sala’s books have become fixtures in libraries and home collections around the world. Having received a number of awards and honors, Sala’s work speaks for itself in both simplicity and striking beauty. She Made A Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein, (2018), written by Lynn Fulton and illustrated by Sala, was included in the 2018 New York Times/NY Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books list. (It was translated into Italian by Leonardo Taiuti in 2020.) Again in 2023, her illustrations for As Night Falls: Creatures That Go Wild After Dark (2023), written by Donna Jo Napoli, made the New York Times/NY Public Library Best Illustrated Children’s Books list. In 2020, she won Italy’s most prestigious award, the Premio Anderson, for illustrator of the year. 

Some other books that you may be familiar with that Sala has illustrated:

Felicita Sala is a self-taught illustrator who was born in Rome, Italy, but grew up in Perth, Australia. To read more about her, the awards she has received for her work, or to see a complete list of her current and upcoming publications, visit her website.

Angela Roberts is currently the Teacher-Librarian at the American School of Milan and has worked in education for over 20 years. Before working in schools, Angela was a museum educator in London, New York, and Massachusetts. As a museum educator she was inspired by her work with classroom teachers and went back to school to pursue a degree in education. Angela was an elementary classroom teacher in New York City, Barcelona, and Milan before she started working in the library in 2014.