Look and Listen

Biography

Jerry and Patsy Di Leo are twin brothers from Mount Vernon, NY who graduated from Fordham University. Jerry is owner of a landscaping business, and Patsy is a budget analyst with a school district. The Di Leo brothers became self-published authors in May 2010 with the release of their first children's picture book, Gabriella and Her Bouquet of Friends, which was inspired by Jerry Di Leo's daughter, Gabriella. The book won a 2010 Premier Book Award and a Fall 2010 NABE Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. Jerry and Patsy released their second book in the Gabriella series in October 2010. Pirate Gabriella Sails the Five Oceans won first place in the 2011 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards in the category of children's picture books - ages 6 and older. Their third book, Gabriella Counts to Ten in Eight Languages, was published in December 2010. The Di Leos are currently working on the fourth book in the series, titled Gabriella and Her Berry Good Friends. The book series was honored as a Finalist in the USA Best Books 2011 Awards in the category of Children's Book Series. In addition to the children's books, Jerry and Patsy also published calendars with pictures from the books.

Inspiration

Jerry and Patsy Di Leo were inspired to write children's stories by Jerry's daughter Gabriella, who is Patsy's niece. The brothers were inspired by Gabriella's fondness of flowers to write their first book, Gabriella and Her Bouquet of Friends. Their second book, Pirate Gabriella Sails the Five Oceans, was inspired by Gabriella's interest in pirates and boats. Gabriella's interest in numbers and learning to count in Spanish inspired their third book, Gabriella Counts to Ten in Eight Languages.