Barbara DiLorenzo

Pens a Picture Book to Help Kids Cope with School Lockdowns

by Michele Appelgate

Haunted by a school lockdown experience, Barbara DiLorenzo shows young readers that although the world can be scary, it is still a beautiful place. “One Thursday Afternoon was a book I didn’t set out to write,” DiLorenzo said. “My mind kept returning to the idea that we have books to help kids discuss common challenges like a new sibling, the first day of school, or even handling a bully. But nothing was available to validate a young person’s feelings regarding lockdown drills in school.” 

The book focuses on Ava, who spends the afternoon with her grandfather. She’s been frightened by a lockdown drill at her school earlier that day and her grandfather helps her to process that fear in a very loving and constructive way.

“From the beginning of writing One Thursday Afternoon, I knew a grandparent was the ideal person to help the protagonist with her feelings,” DiLorenzo said. “I settled on a grandfather because I thought it might be helpful to see a seasoned male character admit to his feelings of fear. In retrospect, I understand that I modeled Granddad on my father, who was incredibly patient and kind and gave me space to share my feelings as a child.” 

In March 2018, DiLorenzo had a close call with gun violence in downtown Princeton, New Jersey. She was supposed to meet a friend in the local Panera, near where she worked. As she arrived, a suicidal gunman took over, and people fled. “My friend and I were both running late, so we weren’t in the building yet,” she said. “We ended up sheltering nearby—she was in a bank, and I was in a bookstore with my 1-year-old daughter. That day ended badly with the threatening person losing his life.”

Six months later, in December 2018, she was excited to speak at the Chapin School in Princeton, New Jersey. Her Instagram post for that “before” moment shows her smiling in front of stacks of books. She gave two assemblies to the lower school, showing slides and encouraging students to reach for their creative dreams. 

“When my talks concluded, the librarian kindly offered to show me the artwork the students created inspired by my books. If I had missed the librarian, I would have left and avoided the stress to come,” DiLorenzo said. “I think about that sometimes. But I was thrilled to go with her into the library and peruse the beautiful artwork showing chameleons with what they were thinking showing up on their skin. When the active lockdown alarm sounded, I didn’t really notice because the fire alarm kept going off earlier in the day. I assumed it was another test of their system. But the librarian quickly and efficiently got up to lock the door, turn off the lights, and ask all the parent volunteers (there for the book sale) to hide behind her desk. My first reaction was disbelief. But she assured us it was an active lockdown and had no further information. The adults whispered, wondering if someone was wandering the hallways. After some time, the conversation shifted to ordinary things. But I had a knot in my stomach. I was scared.”

They waited for 45 minutes, huddled behind the librarian’s desk.

“I thought about the children that had just been in the assemblies. They were adorable but wiggly and noisy,” DiLorenzo said. “I wondered how the teachers were keeping these students calm and quiet. I wondered if they, the students, and their teachers, were scared like me. I wondered if they also desperately wished they had used the restroom before the lockdown.”

After 45 minutes, the librarian received a text that offered more information. A threat had been called into area schools. “We realized no one was in our school, and we could finally breathe,” DiLorenzo said. “I texted my son in a nearby school to make sure he was OK. He said they were sheltering in place, but all was well. I was amazed at his level of calm. A few minutes later, the lockdown lifted. I awkwardly said goodbye and went home.”

Like many people, DiLorenzo has seen movies and television shows throughout her life that include gun violence.

“I’m sure most of us have. But after two events in 2018, I now jump at anything that could be interpreted as a gunshot. I never heard actual gunshots in either circumstance—yet the experience seems to have altered my body’s reaction to a possible threat. I don’t quite know what conclusion to draw from this other than exposure to that level of stress seems to leave a mark.” 

Those experiences in 2018 haunted DiLorenzo.

“I kept setting it aside, only to have my thoughts pull me back into solving the puzzle—how to support young readers on this topic,” she said. “I shared this concept with editor Luana Horry, and she said to write it down. From that moment, it only took a few weeks to create the arc and a few more for my agent to want to send it out.”

Writing about such a serious topic was something DiLorenzo did with great care.

“I wanted to take care of the reader in this journey to discuss an almost taboo topic,” she explained. “Since the content was so hard, the illustrations of the autumn sun shining in a park might be a visual comfort to keep the reader from feeling overwhelmed. I also wanted to ensure that a pre-reader picking up the book does not come across challenging imagery.”

How to support readers was the central puzzle in crafting this book. “If I was going to bring up lockdown drills, I had to give them hope,” DiLorenzo said. “But I couldn’t give them answers or reassurance they would always be safe. I thought about my life and how creativity has provided an outlet for my feelings. I reflected on conversations with loved ones and how a kind listener can make someone feel seen. I also believe spending time in nature has a healing benefit, even on dark days. Combining these elements, I decided that an anxious grandchild would share her feelings with her grandfather in the park while doing something creative. It was fun to show Granddad and Ava painting outside, which I also do regularly with my art students of all ages.

DiLorenzo received her BFA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design and studied painting at the Art Students League of New York under Mary Beth McKenzie. In 2014 she received the Dorothy Markinko Scholarship Award from the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. She is a signature member in the New England Watercolor Society as well as the Society of Illustrators. Currently she teaches at the Arts Council of Princeton, and is co-president of the Children’s Book Illustrators Group of New York.

Her first picture book was Renato and the Lion, which received a starred review from Booklist and was named a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, a Junior Library Guild selection, and a CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. 

She is also the author and illustrator of Quincy: The Chameleon Who Couldn’t Blend In, a finalist for the Crystal Kite Award. A graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, she has taught at the Arts Council of Princeton and the New York Institute of Art and Design. She lives with her family in central New Jersey. 

For more information about Barbara DiLorenzo and her books, visit barbaradilorenzo.com.