“There are many books about grandparents,” Claudia says, “but this one is special because we decided to tell the story of our beloved nonno.”
The protagonist is inspired by Giuseppe Nicolaci, their maternal grandfather who, at the age of 21, came to Australia from the village of Serrata, in the province of Reggio Calabria.
He is described and illustrated in the everyday life typical of his generation: reading Il Globo in the morning with coffee and homemade biscotti, tending passionately to his lush garden or playing with his beloved granddaughters, showing them the hidden richness in life’s small, simple gestures.
“My sister and I don’t share childhood memories, since we were born 15 years apart,” Claudia says with a smile. “But writing this book made us realise that our memories were actually the same, just lived at different times.”
“If our grandfather knew that this story would end up in an Italian newspaper, he wouldn’t believe his eyes and would have burst with joy,” adds Adelle, moved. “He was a humble man, and the simplicity of everyday life made him immensely happy.”
My Nonno Loves was born “almost by chance”, from the drawings Claudia used to share online of familiar faces and small moments in scenes from home.
“One day, my agent asked me who these people I kept drawing were. When I told her it was my grandfather, she said there was a story there waiting to be told,” shares Claudia.
The two sisters then combined their creative strengths. Adelle, an art teacher and part-time writer, began collecting episodes and memories from the past, while Claudia, an illustrator and graphic designer, turned them into tender, colourful images.
“I started writing about the things he loved and all the things he couldn’t stand, like tattoos and junk food,” recalls Adelle.
“But in the end, we decided to focus on the aspects that made each day special. And they were the simplest moments: Sunday lunch, the garden, the little rituals of his daily life.”
Nonno Giuseppe Nicolaci proudly showing off his garden
In the book, each page becomes a a soft poem that speaks of the quiet love expressed in homemade dishes, the plant growing in the garden with patience and the migration stories attentively listened to.
“Today’s children live a very different life from ours,” Adelle reflects. “They are constantly stimulated; everything has to be fast, perfect, ‘Instagrammable’.
“We wanted to stop time and say, ‘It takes very little to be happy. A garden, a meal prepared with love. That’s where beauty lives.’”
My Nonno Loves becomes a bridge between generations; a way to spark a conversation, to remember and recognise what grandparents have passed on, even without ever saying it aloud.
“Our father, for example, is a very different grandfather from our Nonno Giuseppe,” Adelle continues.
“But there are little gestures, little traits that remain, that connect us. And this book serves that purpose too: to tell the story of yesterday’s grandparents in order to better understand today’s.”
Their maternal grandmother, Fortunata Nicolaci, who recently turned 90, has already leafed through the pages of the book, moved by each sweet illustration and touched by the words that still echo in their memory-filled home.
“She kept saying, ‘It’s all true, he really did those things!’” Claudia reveals. “It was truly a special moment.”
The release of My Nonno Loves will be celebrated this Saturday, August 2, at the colourful Readings Kids bookstore in Carlton, with a read-aloud session.
There will also be moments to share, pause and maybe even remember the smell of tomato sauce on a Sunday morning, the jingling of coins on the table and that voice calling his beloved granddaughters to spend an afternoon together.
