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Jessica Love

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Jessica Love
Born1982 (age 41–42)
Occupationtheater actress, author, and illustrator
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of California, Santa Cruz (BFA)
Juilliard School (MFA)
Notable worksJulián Is a Mermaid
Website
jesslove.format.com

Jessica Love (born 1982) is an American theater actress, author, and illustrator. She is best known for her debut children's picture book Julián is a Mermaid,[1][2] which has won the Stonewall Book Award and Klaus Flugge Prize.[3][4] All of her books are LGBTQ+ friendly.[5]

Biography

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Love grew up in Southern California,[6] raised by her parents, who were quite artistic. She attended the University of California Santa Cruz, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She then attended Juilliard's drama program and graduated with her master's in 2009.

Before publishing her first book, Julián is a Mermaid, in 2018, Love worked as an actress in New York City for thirteen years. She refers to her book as "her backstage baby,"[7] as she worked on it between a Jez Butterworth's The River (2014) and Julia Cho's Aubergine at Playwrights Horizons (2016). During this time, she spent five years writing and illustrating Julián is a Mermaid before finding a publisher.[8]

Love currently lives in Hudson Valley with her partner, Daniel, and their son.[9][6] She and Daniel were friends for twenty years before they became romantically involved, and they have been together for the last five years.

Style

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Love hand illustrated each of her books using ink, gouache, and watercolor. An interesting aspect of her Julián books is she uses brown paper.[10] She tried white paper originally, however she says, "something about it just wasn't working." When first starting to write Julián is a Mermaid, Love states that it "was going to be entirely wordless.. but it became clear to me as I showed early sketches of the book to people that there was some information that was missing, and without it the story wouldn't actually make sense.”[11] Now she has included some words, but has been very careful to not overwrite the book or take your focus away from the illustrations.

In her newest book A Bed of Stars she explored her creativity in a more natural aspect looking at the nature around her.[9]

Inspiration

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Love has stated she is most inspired by the work of Maurice Sendak, Hillary Knight, Bill Waterson, Shel Silverstein, John Klassen, Mac Barnett, and Carson Ellis.[12]

Books

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Julián is a Mermaid (2018)

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Main article: Julián Is a Mermaid

Julián is a Mermaid, published May 22, 2018 by Candlewick Press, is about a little boy riding a bus with his grandma when he notices three women dressed up as mermaids (colorful and beautiful) and goes home to dress up like a mermaid. The story follows how he feels about himself and how his abuela feels about her grandson discovering another aspect of himself.[13]

Love's inspiration for Julián is a Mermaid, was a friend who transitioned later on in life.[12] Love was inspired by his story and the struggles he had to go through to live his life as his truest self.[12] After hearing his story and starting to understand drag through Paris is Burning, she wanted to create a story about how the love of a community affects a child's view of themselves.[12]

Julián at the Wedding (2020)

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In Julián at the Wedding, published October 6, 2020 by Candlewick Press, Julián and his abuela go to a wedding, where he makes a friend, Marisol. Together, they create mischief and understand the value of friends.[14]

A Bed of Stars (2023)

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A Bed of Stars, expected to be published April 4, 2023 by Candlewick Press,[9] is about a father who goes camping in the desert with his child. Love has stated that line “shake hands with the universe” is best explains the book.[9]

Awards and honors

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In 2018, Julián is a Mermaid was named one of the best children's books of the year by The Horn Book Magazine,[15] Kirkus Reviews, NPR,[16] Publishers Weekly,[17] and TIME.

In 2020, Julián at the Wedding was named one of the best children's books of the year by Publishers Weekly.[18]

Awards for Love's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2018 Julián is a Mermaid Children's Book NAIBA Book of the Year Award Winner [19]
Opera Prima Bologna Children's Book Fair Winner
2019 ALSC Notable Children's Books Selection [20]
Anna Dewdney Read Together Award Honor [21]
Bologna Ragazzi Award Winner [22]
Carnegie Medal Shortlist [23][24]
Ezra Jack Keats Book Award for Illustrator Honor [25][26][27]
Klaus Flugge Prize Winner [4][28]
Stonewall Book Award for Children's & Young Adult Winner [29][30]

Publications

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As author

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  • Julián is a Mermaid (Candlewick Press, 2018)[31]
    • Translations: Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, French, Japanese, Dutch, and Korean.[32]
  • Julián at the Wedding (Candlewick Press, 2022)[33]
  • A Bed of Stars (Candlewick Press, 2023)[34]

As illustrator

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References

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  1. ^ Gutterman, Annabel (November 19, 2018). "The 10 Best YA and Children's Books of 2018". Time. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  2. ^ Morse, Libby (June 29, 2018). "Spring 2018 Flying Starts: Jessica Love". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Stonewall Book Awards List". American Library Association. September 9, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Flood, Alison (September 11, 2019). "'I am proven joyously wrong': picture book about trans child wins major prize amid moral panic". The Guardian. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Hintz-Zambrano, Katie (2020-10-08). "Julian At The Wedding - Jessica Love". MOTHER. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  6. ^ a b "About". Jessica Love. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
  7. ^ Morse, Libby (2018-06-29). "Spring 2018 Flying Starts: Jessica Love". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  8. ^ Ward, Lindsay (November 8, 2018). "Interview with Debut Author + Illustrator Jessica Love". Critter Lit. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d O'Sullivan, Joanne (2022-07-28). "Cover Reveal: 'A Bed of Stars'". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  10. ^ "Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love: 9781536212389 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  11. ^ "Let's Talk Illustrators #68: Jessica Love". Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  12. ^ a b c d Ward, Lindsay (2018-11-08). "Interview with Debut Author + Illustrator Jessica Love". Critter Lit. Archived from the original on 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  13. ^ "Let's Talk Illustrators #68: Jessica Love". Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  14. ^ "Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love: 9781536212389". Penguin Randomhouse. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  15. ^ "Horn Book Fanfare 1938 to present". The Horn Book. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  16. ^ "Books We Love". NPR. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  17. ^ "Best Books 2018". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  18. ^ "Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love: 9781536212389 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books". PenguinRandomhouse.com. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  19. ^ "NAIBA Books of the Year Award". New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  20. ^ Schulte-Cooper, Laura (2019-02-25). "ALSC names 2019 Notable Children's Books". American Library Association. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  21. ^ "Awards: Colby, Anna Dewdney Read Together Winners". Shelf Awareness. 2019-04-25. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  22. ^ Love, Jessica (2018-01-01). "Julián is a Mermaid". Diverse Families.
  23. ^ "2019 CILIP Carnegie and Kate Greenaway Medals Announced". School Library Journal. 2019-06-18. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  24. ^ "Awards: J. Anthony Lukas Winners; CILIP Carnegie, Kate Greenaway Shortlists". Shelf Awareness . 2019-03-20. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  25. ^ Alex, John (2019-04-24). "Brooklyn author Jessica Love wins prestigious book award". The Brooklyn Home Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  26. ^ "Image of the Day: Ezra Jack Keats Winners". Shelf Awareness . 2019-04-19. Archived from the original on 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  27. ^ "Ezra Jack Keats Awards Announced and More | NewsBites". School Library Journal. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  28. ^ "Awards: Ngaio Marsh, Klaus Flugge Winners". Shelf Awareness. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  29. ^ Communications and Marketing Office (2019-01-28). ""Julián is a Mermaid" and "Hurricane Child" win 2019 Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award". American Library Association. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  30. ^ "2019 Youth Media Awards". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
  31. ^ Love, Jessica (2018). Julián is a Mermaid. Candlewick Press.
  32. ^ "Julián is a Mermaid". Jessica Love. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
  33. ^ Love, Jessica (2018). Julián at the Wedding. Candlewick Press.
  34. ^ Love, Jessica (2023). A Bed of Stars. Candlewick Press.
  35. ^ Thị Văn, Mượn (2022). I Love You Because I Love You. Harper Collins.
  36. ^ Dragonwagon, Crescent (2022). Will It Be Okay?. HarperCollins.
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