Heather Ferranti Kinser
Di Starr
Writer Heather Ferranti Kinser lives with her family on the San Francisco Peninsula. Her title Small Matters: The Hidden Power of the Unseen won the Maryland Blue Crab Award.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
The Little Brute Family, by Russell Hoban and Lillian Hoban
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“Now tell me please, how did you make this pink and plump and perfect cake, so high and light and smooth as silk?” from The Seven Silly Eaters, by Mary Ann Hoberman and Marla Frazee
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Eric and Terry Fan (the Fan Brothers), Julie Fogliano, Mac Barnett
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I’ve loved writing since I got an A+ on my very first story assignment in third grade. Later, I cracked myself up with a poem called “Squash,” about eating that veggie, night after night. (My mom grew a garden, with lots of zucchini.) My writing has become a place I can always return to, to feel like “myself.” As a parent, I discovered the wonder of settling in to read picture books with my daughters. Picture books are filled with the gifts of fun and hope and lyrical language. I can’t wait to make my contribution to the picture book world as an author.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Creative writing is an art form. And to make art, you have to be open to wonder, curiosity, hope, and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.
