Melanie Ellsworth writes in an old barn in Maine, surrounded by books. Her picture book titles include Hip, Hip…Beret!, Clarinet and Trumpet, and Battle of the Books. With an M.Ed in Language and Literacy, Melanie has also worked as an ESOL teacher and a literacy specialist and is currently a member of the Equity & Inclusion Committee for the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. Melanie loves creating books that make children laugh while they learn! Today I have the honor to talk with Melanie about her new book, Battle of the Books and her publishing journey.
- What was your author journey like? What brought you to picture books?
Picture books have always been my favorite books to read and share. I brought a big bag of picture books to every babysitting job as a middle- and high-schooler. I shared picture books in my ESOL and literacy coaching jobs even though I worked with older students and adults because there’s something about the magic of the art/text combination that appeals to all age groups. I wrote a picture book with a friend while backpacking through Africa in my twenties with a program called Youth International, but I didn’t start writing seriously until 2012 when I joined SCBWI and a critique group. It took time and lots of reading at the library to understand how picture books had changed since my own childhood. Attending conferences and workshops and joining events like Tara Lazar’s “Storystorm” have been so valuable in my writing journey. I got my first book contract in 2018 with HMH – for CLARINET AND TRUMPET – by submitting to an editor who attended the Belgrade Lakes conference in Maine. Having a contract in hand (along with several other polished picture books) helped me get an agent, and now I have three published picture books.
- BATTLE OF THE BOOKS is so hilarious. Where did the inspiration for your book, BATTLE OF THE BOOKS come from? Anything from your own bedtime routines when you were a child?
Thanks, Helen! BATTLE OF THE BOOKS is inspired by my daughter’s experience choosing books at bedtime. I wanted to flip the point of view and show it from the books’ perspective – they really want to get picked every night! My own childhood experience was similar to my daughter’s; I got to pick bedtime books, and usually my mom read aloud to me. In earlier drafts of BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, one of the books teases Poem Book, saying that Poem Book would only get chosen if Mom was picking out books that night. I suspect I’m not the only parent out there who has tried to push particular books or book genres on their child, but I ended up cutting that line out of the book because it was unfair to poetry. My daughter and I actually both love reading poetry, and my daughter especially gravitated towards humorous poetry as a young child. I wanted BATTLE OF THE BOOKS to reflect the way all book genres are valuable, as each child gravitates towards the genres that appeal to them. Though that line is gone and there’s less teasing in the book, there’s plenty of one-upmanship as the books make their case and expound on their various merits!
- What do you hope readers will learn or discover from reading BATTLE OF THE BOOKS?
From my literacy specialist perspective, I’d love the book to serve as a reminder that bedtime read-aloud routines are so important, and that children should get lots of opportunities to pick out their own stories. From the child reader’s perspective, I wanted to highlight the variety of picture book genres out there in a funny way that would get kids laughing and relating to the books’ voices as they squabble like siblings. I hope readers also pick up on the message of forgiveness and cooperation at the heart of the story. The overall takeaway of BATTLE OF THE BOOKS is that books are our friends. They give us so much!
- What is the most challenging thing you faced while writing or researching BATTLE OF THE BOOKS?
This isn’t a book that required much research, as it was based on personal and teaching experiences I’ve had and a general knowledge of popular picture book formats. But I did go through many drafts, and one of the hardest parts was letting go of the rhyme and turning the story to prose. I was quite attached to my rhyming version since I originally envisioned the book as a gentle bedtime story, but Beth Ferry (during a 2017 “Writing with the Stars” mentorship) convinced me to try it in prose. And she was right! The conflict and humor are much better suited to a prose format.
- How was the editorial process? Did you do any revisions?
Courtney Fahy was my editor through most of the process until she took a new publishing job overseas. I’m fortunate to have had two excellent editors – first Courtney, and then Brett Duquette at little bee books. Courtney had fun word play ideas for Dinosaur Book and suggested that all, rather than some, of Poem Book’s lines be written in rhyme. We changed a few other words here and there, Comic Book became Joke Book, and there was some back and forth on what the end papers might look like. The major revisions happened prior to the book being purchased, as I tried out various endings, cut out unnecessary book characters, and changed the story from rhyme to prose. My critique groups and the mentorship with Beth Ferry were extremely helpful in providing suggestions to amp up the humor and clarify the plot arc for BATTLE OF THE BOOKS.
- Based on your own experiences, what would you say goes into making a children’s book, including the collaboration process between illustrator and writer?
Lots of time! Lots of patience! Collecting ideas from all around you and writing as many books as you can to practice your craft. Reading comp titles. Paying careful attention to each word in the story. Not being afraid to cut out characters or words that you love if they’re not working for your story. Being ready and open to revision ideas from your critique group and your editor. Picture books also require multiple hooks or layers, so as I draft, I tend to add richer layers. Sometimes text needs to change a bit as the illustrations evolve, so there can be revisions fairly late in the writing process. Although generally (if you’re not both an author and an illustrator) the writing happens first and the illustrating happens later and separately, it’s great for an author and illustrator to come together for the promotion and marketing of their book. James Rey Sanchez and I are looking forward to doing a virtual event for BATTLE OF THE BOOKS through Print Bookstore, and I hope we’ll have more event opportunities together. I can’t wait to learn more from James about his part in the creation of the book! I also think it’s fine if an author and illustrator communicate during the illustration process because sometimes an illustrator has questions – as long as the communication doesn’t interfere with an illustrator’s freedom to create their own vision for the book.
- What’s a question you haven’t been asked yet, but wish you were asked (as well as the answer to that question)?
Hmmm….that’s a good question! Maybe – how might teachers and librarians use BATTLE OF THE BOOKS? I think the book will be a fun read aloud – the reader can try out different voices for all the characters! And I also envision the read aloud followed by an introduction to various book genres. Classrooms can have a lively discussion about all the different roles books play in our lives – comfort, entertainment, information, humor, empathy and community building, windows/mirrors, and on and on… In BATTLE OF THE BOOKS, the books discuss their positions on the bookshelf and which spot is better, and I think another interesting conversation for older students could happen around how product positioning affects choice.
- What’s up next for you?
I keep plugging away at those new picture book ideas while other books are out on submission. I wrote an early graphic reader earlier this year and loved trying something new, so now I’m looking forward to writing a novel in verse.
- What advice would you give to other aspiring writers?
Remember that for all the times you’re feeling down about your writing and/or publishing journey, there will also come moments of joy and recognition. Collect that joy! Take all those small confidence-raising moments, whether it’s a kind rejection, an almost-book sale, encouragement from an agent, a useful critique, a child who loves the story you’re writing, or maybe a win in a writing contest, and make note of them somewhere. Then when you feel you’re not making progress in your career, revisit those moments to remind yourself that your work is important. Follow those story ideas that make your heart race a little faster – you’re probably onto something when that happens! I have felt that with each of my books that have been published (and with many that haven’t – YET!)!
Visit Melanie at www.MelanieEllsworth.com.
Battle of the Books: 978-1499812725; August 23, 2022; by Melanie Ellsworth, illustrated by James Rey Sanchez; little bee books
Book Description: In this competition to be chosen as a bedtime story, may the best book win! In Josh’s bedroom, tension mounts as each of his books battle over who will be chosen for story time. It’s every book for itself – until Pirate Book needs rescuing, and the books must use their unique talents to save him. This energetic picture book celebrates the magic of stories and the joy of choosing your favorite books.
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