by Laura M. Alberghini Ventimiglia
illustrated by Maura O’Connor
translated into Italian by Diletta Ballati
St. Peter’s Fiesta in Gloucester, Massachusetts, is a ninety-year-old tradition. In this story, a young boy named Joey and two of his cousins, Amelia and Jacob, participate in the Fiesta with their Nonna. Joey wonders why the Fiesta is so important to his family and the people of Gloucester. Throughout the celebration the children meet different people who explain the various traditions and meanings behind them.
Joey, Amelia, and Jacob represent a blend of ethnic backgrounds that are found in many of today’s families, which gives a broad range of beginning readers an opportunity to relate to the story. The adults the children meet during the Fiesta also provide a multi-generational connection. The value of this story crosses generations and sends the message that we all have much to learn from our elders about heritage, culture, and traditions.
About the author
Laura M. Alberghini Ventimiglia is a third-generation Italian American and a retired college educator, author, and administrator who established Buttieri Press in 2015 to support the preservation of family histories and traditions. She released her first book, A Letter to My Children: An Italian American Family’s Heritage, in 2016 as a dual language book in English and Italian. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts with her family.
About the illustrator
Maura O’Connor —originally from New York’s Hudson Valley—found her way to the Massachusetts North Shore while attending Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, Massachusetts. After graduating in 2015, Maura made frequent trips to Gloucester to sit on the piers and draw. She specializes in watercolor and colored pencil illustrations and her work is strongly influenced by color, line, and light. She dedicates these St. Peter’s illustrations to her grandmother Joan Delbene O’Connor, the Italian heart of her family.
About the translator
Diletta Ballati is a student at Università di Bologna, Scuola di Giurisprudenza (The University of Bologna, School of Law). She also translated into Italian Alberghini Ventimiglia’s book, A Letter to my Children: An Italian American Family’s Heritage. She lives in Italy and considers Gloucester, Massachusetts, her American home.
Product Details
Hardcover, no jacket, printed case, 8.5 x 11, 36 pages
ISBN: 978-0-9976486-1-4
Available in English and Italian from: Buttieri Press
Services Provided
Design / layout, shepherding through the self-publishing journey, liaison with commercial book printer.