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An interview with �Թ�tv English professor Robert Ficociello, author of the children’s picture book

�Թ�tv: What inspired you to write Lucia & Marcus Go to Space?

Robert Ficociello: It was a COVID idea. If you remember, fewer people were commuting so there was less smog in the air and we were all spending a lot of time outside. I built a firepit and we would sit around looking at the sky. My kids started asking questions: "What's that? What's that?" I knew that Jupiter was one of the brightest planets, but other than that, I didn’t have a lot of answers.

�Թ�tv: What is it about space that fascinates children?

Ficociello: I think space fascinates all of us. It's a mystery, a place that most of us, personally, will never experience in a tangible way. Kids get the closest. They have the imagination to read about Lucia and Marcus on Jupiter and think, “I'm in the rocket ship with them going magically to space.”

�Թ�tv: Who are Lucia and Marcus?

Ficociello: Lucia is the NASA commander in this story. She’s based on my daughter, Lucia, who is really smart, but when she was in the first and second grade, her teacher told us she didn’t raise her hand in school. It was upsetting to me and my wife to hear she didn't feel empowered in a male-dominated class. I wanted to make Lucia in the book a confident leader so that young girls will see her and think, “I can be a scientist. I can be a leader.” And the other character, Marcus, is based on my son Marcus. In the book, Marcus is the educator. I wanted to show girls they can be leaders and boys they can be teachers. That’s not always what they see around them.

�Թ�tv: And what do the real Lucia and Marcus think about their star turn?

Ficociello: My daughter is 14, so she doesn’t want to seem too enthusiastic, but she is. Marcus is 11, and he’s all in. He has been practicing his handwriting to sign books. Once he nailed it, he said, “Dad, I’m ready to be famous.”