2017 Kids' Lit Fest Author Mônica Carnesi

Meet Mônica Carnesi

Mônica grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She has always loved drawing and painting, and everything related to illustration: paint, brushes, pencils, color pencils, blank notebooks, art supply stores, libraries, bookstores, picture books, you get the idea.

Her love of illustration and of books led her to another career: she's a librarian at The Free Library of Philadelphia.  A perfect fit for her interests!

She loves dogs too. Growing up, her first dog was a little mutt named Snoopy. Now she and her husband have a silly little terrier mix name Giovanni

Curious about how to pronounce her name?  Click here.

Meet Mônica's Books

 

Sleepover with Beatrice & Bear

When Bear sits on Beatrice's carrots while beehive watching, he doesn't make a very good first impression. However, despite a rocky beginning, the bear and the bunny become great friends sharing adventures all through the spring, summer, and fall. Then one day Beatrice can't find her pal, and Squirrel informs her that he's hibernating—a long winter sleep. Beatrice loves the idea and soon joins Bear. "Really? Bunnies hibernate too?" "Definitely!" said Beatrice. "Bunnies are GREAT hibernators." 

But as Bear drops off to sleep, poor Beatrice can only toss and turn. Finally giving up, she leaves the den declaring, "Winter is ruined!" But with the help of Squirrel, Beatrice puts her friendless time to good use, and when Bear awakens, she greets him with a scrapbook of the season. This wonderful book is filled with pictures, drawings, and notes that they can read together again and again. - School Library Journal

Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic

 

This dramatized version of a true story involves a little brown dog that was spotted in 2010 floating on a chunk of iceberg down Poland’s Vistula River toward the Baltic Sea. Children summon firefighters, and a human chain is made to try to save the animal, but the current pulls too quickly. Night comes but yet the mutt survives: “Dog’s thick fur keeps him warm. But Dog is wet and tired and hungry. And he is scared. Don’t be scared, Dog!” Finally a research vessel spots the dog and, despite a tense moment when Dog slips into the water, succeeds in bringing him aboard, where, to this day, he remains a happy crew member. 

 Though delivered simply, this tale is intrinsically powerful—kids know how slippery ice can be, and Dog’s loneliness and helplessness is similarly relatable. Carnesi’s soft, comforting watercolors make great use of wide tableaux of tiny Dog almost lost among the huge sea of blue water and white icebergs. A short but informative author’s note closes out this inspirational, heart-tugging offering. - Booklist