Cover-to-cover girls

Once upon a time, there were two friends. In a land not too far away called Queen Village, Maria and Theresa remained close through many years of changes, children, grandchildren, success and even illness.

Their shared paths eventually led them to write a book — a children’s book that emphasizes family closeness and good nutrition.

But our story begins in a hair salon at 2227 S. Third St., where Maria Del Gatto and Theresa Sanquilli talk about a relationship that goes back "a hundred years." Sitting in Zodiac — Del Gatto’s beauty shop for 25 years — the friends are surrounded by hundreds of angels that Sanquilli has collected. Del Gatto is now retired and her daughter, "Little Maria," does hair just for friends.

"This is a local hangout for our neighbors," Del Gatto says. "Many people just come for coffee and the chitchat."

The friends live above the salon along with Maria’s daughter, her son-in-law Tom and her grandson Eddie, 6.

Del Gatto and Sanquilli were childhood pals, separated by a move after kindergarten and reunited at age 14. They haven’t parted company since, despite that Del Gatto attended Hallahan High and Sanquilli went to Southern. The young girls had different interests at that time; Del Gatto wanted to be a hairdresser and Sanquilli had dreams of becoming a recording artist.

Both achieved their goals.

Del Gatto raised three kids and opened Zodiac. Sanquilli never married, but focused on her successful career.

"I decided to take care of everyone else’s kids," she says.

Sanquilli recorded Such Things My Heart Wants more than 40 years ago.

"It became a popular hit," exclaims her fan, Del Gatto. "They are still playing it on the AM stations over in Jersey. We hear it all the time."

Performing under the stage names Terri De Rose and Terri Dela, Sanquilli signed with Roulette Records and Cougar Records.

And, as always, Del Gatto was her willing collaborator. Together, they wrote Love in Your Eyes. Though it’s not as popular as Sanquilli’s first hit, the song began a professional partnership that continues with the duo’s recently self-published children’s book, The Shapettes.

Where did they find the inspiration for the book?

"We always did things sporadically," says Del Gatto. "Years ago, Theresa inspired me to make some dolls in all shapes and sizes. Ones that looked like you and me and not like Barbie dolls."

But the handiwork was too time-consuming and Del Gatto never did anything with the dolls but store them in her basement to save for future grandchildren.

Fast forward 22 years and, sadly, Sanquilli is stricken with lung cancer. "Life slowed up, so I decided to do something sitting down … I had faith," she says. "I know it may sound weird, but my angels watch over me."

That’s when the idea for the book came about.

"We just decided to write a book about the dolls in the basement," Sanquilli says. "I used to tell Maria’s daughter, Denise, ‘If you eat too much junk food, you’re gonna get "cranklin!"’ I made the word up, like a false disease."

Using "cranklin" as a premise, the two authors got to work last year on a story line about healthy eating, happy families and even interracial marriages.

The process took a few months. While Del Gatto frequently uses her computer, Sanquilli confesses, "I wouldn’t even know how to turn the thing on."

After writing the book, the women then researched on the Internet how to publish it themselves.

Their neighbor offered to help insert pictures with the text. Working with Book Masters out of Ohio, Del Gatto and Sanquilli self-published The Shapettes and ordered 1,000 copies. The books arrived on their doorstep one rainy afternoon. "There were 40 books to a carton, you can figure out how many boxes are now stored in the basement," chuckles Sanquilli.

Since there had been no real publicity for the book, Del Gatto took on the task.

"I called the manager at Borders. He was just amazing and, better yet, he loved the book. Borders ordered 10 copies on the spot."

As it turned out, The Shapettes was the last unsolicited book that Borders accepted. (More angels at work?) Their first check was for $47.97.

"I copied that check," says Del Gatto with a laugh.

Despite her illness, Sanquilli made a special contribution to the project. The charming nursery rhyme in The Shapettes that begins, "Better to be happy than be sad," is set to music on a CD that accompanies the book. After Del Gatto "gently persuaded" her to sing, Sanquilli lent her professional voice to the track.

"The song touches me more, because I wrote it with kids who have cancer in mind," says Sanquilli.

The singer-turned-author, whose deep jazz-inspired voice is reminiscent of Rosemary Clooney, is trying to cope with her illness through maintaining a positive attitude and healthy eating habits.

On June 15, she and her co-author will participate in Pennsylvania Hospital’s Cancer Survivor Day.

"We’ll donate as many books as they need," says Del Gatto.

The writers are also giving books away to whatever children’s hospitals will accept them for their libraries.

"So far, only Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles has accepted," says Del Gatto.

What’s next for this productive friendship?

"We already finished the second book. It’s a Shapettes follow-up for a little older audience," says Del Gatto.

They are also working on bringing to life the Shapettes — characters with round, triangular and square heads, to name a few — through animation and television.

"This is all so exciting for us. We’ve been friends for many years. We have many more in us," Sanquilli says. "We love our neighborhood and our family. We’re just blessed that we can do something so fulfilling and meaningful."

The end.