Eduardo

Hi! My name is Eduardo and I’m the writer and illustrator of Toloc Toloc’s books. I’m a software engineer by training and a professional storytelling dad.

I am not a professional illustrator, but I had fun drawing for the first Toloc Toloc book so I will stick to it. I think more authors should try to illustrate their own work because it gives the story their personal touch. If I can do it, anyone can do it!

Toloc Toloc was originally created by my grandfather Geraldo when I was little. I once asked him to tell me a bedtime story. He came up with a cow that grazed the pasture and, as she walked, her hooves made the sound “toloc toloc” on the ground. That was the extent of the stories he would tell me, over forty years ago. He hoped to put me to sleep by repeating “toloc toloc” several times, but in reality he would fall asleep first! I just waited for the storyline to actually begin.

More recently, when my daughter Cora asked me to tell her a bedtime story, I immediately recalled Toloc Toloc. But Cora wouldn’t settle for just Toloc walking on a field. Hence, several different storylines began to develop over many, many nights. The stories Cora found more interesting were usually the ones where Toloc Toloc got into some sort of difficult situation and had to come up with a creative way out. And so the character began to take shape.

Even though I haven’t studied art or literature, I have loved writing and drawing since I was young. In middle school I edited a magazine with friends. I drew cartoons and wrote a short story, which was even published in a local paper. Later on, in middle school, I was invited (along with the same friends) to run a special edition of the local university’s newspaper! I felt quite honored to be visiting a college campus in eight grade to publish a professional newspaper. I drew cartoons, wrote stories, and did the page editing of the newspaper – all by hand using a ruler and a calculator. This was before computers were powerful enough for this job. In high school I edited the school’s magazine – this time electronically. I was also the movie critic for the magazine. Later, after college, I wrote a screenplay.

When I’m not playing with my daughter, I like to jot down ideas and sketches for Toloc Toloc books.

Fun facts about me:

  • I love to write and I’m always writing something: sometimes software, sometimes children’s books, and sometimes blog posts or emails.
  • I grew up in Brazil and now live in California.
  • I practice Aikido, a non-violent Japanese martial art, and yoga.
  • My last name is Pinheiro, which in Portuguese means “pine tree”.
  • I’m vegetarian.
  • I meditate every day.