Blog Archives
Mystical Encounter
A Stargazer centers around a sick little girl who is convinced she has been healed by a star boy and his magical stardust. Where did the idea of Vesper, the “star boy,” come from?
Already early on, I borrowed all the space-themed nonfiction books from the small library in my home village and tried to observe the starry sky on dark winter nights. However, without a telescope, you couldn’t see much detail, although you could spot some constellations. For my story, A Stargazer, I drew inspiration and details primarily from this childhood fascination with the starry sky.
There is also a particular incident that closely resembles the meeting between my story’s little girl and the starboy. As a child, I built a snow lantern in windy weather so enthusiastically and for so long that I ended up with a very high fever. I had to stay in bed for days, and the illness wouldn’t let up. Finally, in my feverish delirium, I saw a translucent figure descend onto my blanket and smile kindly at me. When I told my mother about this angelic visitor, she quickly arranged for me to see a doctor.
I’ve slightly modified this mystical encounter with my clear angel figure to the beginning of my book. As a teenager, I fell in love with David Bowie’s song “Starman.” There was – and still is – something very captivating about its lyrics and melody. What do we really know? What if this isn’t all there is? What else could there be in the universe?
Do you believe wonder is a starting point for learning, especially in children?
Absolutely. Curiosity and a desire for knowledge are powerful forces. It’s good to satisfy them by reading, asking questions, and listening to those who are more experienced and knowledgeable than you.
I have personally gained a lot of knowledge from libraries. Of course, schools and later studies have continually added to those lessons. I hope that learning never stops, not even now that I am in my senior years. At least, I remain just as curious about everything around me—only the things that need explanation have changed.
I believe that curiosity and wonder keep people engaged and active at any age. Mental fitness influences us throughout life and can support overall well- being. It’s unfortunate when adults discourage a child’s enthusiasm for exploring the world. I always try to encourage young minds to make their own observations and think independently. I see my children’s books as a tool for this as well!
Life is such an interesting and valuable gift, regardless of your age, that it’s worth embracing it as the ultimate journey of discovery. We never know where the winds and currents will carry us. There’s plenty to wonder about along the way, and the destination itself invites reflection.
The artwork in your book is wonderful. Can you tell us about your collaboration with illustrator Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren?
I have had the pleasure of working with Mongolian illustrator Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren on several children’s books. Our collaboration started years ago through our mutual connection, Mongolian publisher Nepko Kids.
Initially, Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren illustrated my Axel and Ava Series. His interpretation added warmth, color, and humor to the everyday adventures of young children. When I started working on the Lyrics of Life Series for slightly older children, two stories immediately came to mind that would be perfect for Nyamdorj Lkhaasuren to illustrate. He was excited about the topics, so A Stargazer and The Hermit’s Hut were recently created and recently published in English and Finnish.
Lkhaasuren’s art is vibrant and detailed. In our two latest collaborations, his style creates enchanting and magical worlds with richer colors and more mystical details. He utilizes modern digital technology to its fullest, and the spreads he creates are a constant inspiration to me. He is exactly the kind of illustrator whose visual interpretations of my stories inspire me to write more and more.
I hope we can soon continue our collaboration on new books. I have already drafted some stories for this purpose. But first, I’m going to pitch A Stargazer and The Hermit’s Hut to the publishers I’ll meet at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair later this spring.
What do you hope children feel when they recognize themselves in Aylin?
Aylin, the main character, is both vulnerable and strong. I hope children find inspiration and encouragement in this story when they need to dig deep to build self-confidence and pursue their dreams.
Life is about standing your ground, even when others oppose you. Sometimes, obstacles are tough and require a lot of courage to overcome. Other times, they’re more subtle and involve just some headwinds. Aylin faces both types. It’s never easy to be the only one who believes in something, and enduring the laughter, teasing, and belittling from others makes it even harder.
Aylin’s behavior in the book also demonstrates a vital lesson: the value of seeking help and forming alliances with trustworthy, like-minded people. The young girl receives support from three different adults, each aiding her in a unique way. Her father shares her fascination with space and assists with the telescope, while the librarian respects her curiosity by guiding her toward the right books. Additionally, she finds a surprising kindred spirit in the old janitor of the observatory, who also has stardust in his eyes.
By featuring such a diverse cast of supporters, the story aims to encourage making friends across different ages and backgrounds and finding common ground with them. The best companions for life’s various journeys aren’t always found among peers—while those connections may feel more effortless, they don’t always challenge and refine our thoughts in the same way.
Growing up around people of all ages and generations simply taught me about humanity and the value of collaboration. These experiences gave me the courage to face life’s challenges together with others. I often say that age is a fluid concept. Some are born old, while others remain eternal children. These different starting points lead to fascinating encounters, where you might even find yourself talking about stardust, if the mood strikes you!
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Warm Values | Facebook | LinkedIn | Amazon
But when Aylin’s class visits the city observatory, things don’t go the way she expects. Her most important questions are met with impatience-and laughter. Just when she’s about to give up, an unexpected friend appears: the observatory’s elderly janitor, who seems to understand stardust and the beauty of the universe better than anyone.
A luminous picture book about curiosity, resilience, and keeping your sense of wonder-even when others don’t understand.
Pari the Panda Learns About Patience: Patience Is a Fruit of the Spirit
Pari the Panda Learns about Patience, by J.M. Ashmore, follows a young panda who rushes from one thing to the next, first swimming too soon after breakfast, then wandering into a trap because she can’t resist the bamboo leaves inside. After a frightening escape, Pari finds a safer part of the forest and begins to understand what patience really means: not just waiting, but slowing down long enough to make wiser choices. The story gently ties that lesson to the Fruit of the Spirit, giving children a concrete way to think about patience through Pari’s mistakes, fear, relief, and growth.
What I appreciated most is that the book doesn’t treat patience like a tidy little rule children should memorize. Pari learns it the hard way, through discomfort and danger, and that makes the message feel more alive. As a parent, I found that useful. Children know what it feels like to want something right now, whether it’s a snack, an adventure, or a shiny mystery across the lake. Pari’s impulsiveness feels recognizable without making her seem “bad,” and I liked that the story gives her room to reflect. The writing is simple and direct, with a clear sense of cause and consequence. I also liked the added questions at the end, because they turn the story into a real conversation about safety, self-control, and learning from a scary moment.
The artwork is bright, soft, and inviting, with lush bamboo forests, stirring scenes, and an expressive little panda whose eyes carry a lot of the emotional weight. There’s a sweetness to the illustrations that balances the more intense parts of the plot, especially the trapping scene. The story takes a surprisingly dramatic turn. That tension gives the book more substance than a simple moral tale. The faith element is present and clear, particularly with the Galatians verse near the end, but the central idea also works on a practical level: pause, think, ask for help, and don’t let curiosity outrun wisdom.
I found Pari the Panda Learns About Patience to be a heartfelt picture book with a sincere moral center and a memorable little heroine. It’s best suited for young children, Sunday school settings, or parents looking for a story that opens up gentle conversations about patience, safety, and making thoughtful choices. I’d recommend it for young children who like animal stories with a little adventure, especially when read with an adult who can talk through Pari’s fear, her decisions, and the relief of finding a safer place to belong.
Pages: 33 | ASIN : B0FTRWHJ5F
Wariness and Safety Tools
In Where is Robbie? Part 2, the grumpy, bumpy rooster who disappeared after terrifying the younger chickens has returned, leading his own rowdy rock band. What is the most rewarding aspect of writing a children’s series?
Children waiting to get the next story. Children laughing at the antics and talking chooks.
Many children’s stories encourage immediate forgiveness. Your book takes a more gradual approach. What influenced that decision?
Forgiveness when you are being hurt and confused by behaviour so deeply is not simple to forgive. In fact, a child does not need to forgive but develop wariness and safety tools to navigate such behaviour in life.
Do you have a favorite scene in this story? One that was especially fun to write?
Bringing back the rooster with his band of recalcitrants to atone. Not with a symphony or quartet but with a rock band. They can give children a sense of letting go and surprise at the development.
How do you hope children who may recognize some of Robbie’s behaviors in themselves respond to the story?
Hopefully, they might be allowed to share the naughty behaviours that have upset others or hurt them, and talk about why they behaved in this way.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website | Amazon
Robbie rooster was taken away because he was a bully… a BIG, BAD bully! He needed to change. A story about this rooster’s journey from being bad to learning to be better. Will Robbie’s past behaviour be forgotten by those he mistreated? One day he might be forgiven. It would just take time, hard work and trust.
Foreword
Bullying is never okay.
Never.
It hurts, it excludes, and it leaves a lasting impact. But it’s also true that those who bully have the potential to change. Often, they are the loudest voices in the room – full of energy, drive, and presence. With the right support, that same energy can be transformed into something powerful.
Lesa Melnyczuk beautifully shows us that even the most troublesome characters can turn things around. This story is a gentle reminder to children that behavioural change is possible, and that growth and leadership can emerge from the most unexpected places.
A heartfelt tale of growth, redemption, and the power of transformation.
Katie Govic National Manager, Schools & Communities
Where is Robbie?: That Grumpy Bumpy Rooster (Part 2)
Where Is Robbie? Part 2, by Lesa Melnyczuk, follows the mystery of Robbie, the grumpy, bumpy rooster who has disappeared after terrifying the younger chickens with his bullying. When he returns, he’s nearly unrecognizable: glittery, musical, and leading a rowdy rooster rock band called The Bubbie Rooster Rockers. The story reveals that Robbie was taken to a patient farmer who helped him redirect his anger into music, but it’s careful not to pretend that a costume change and a guitar can erase the hurt he caused. Lucy and Tekla are still afraid, and Robbie has to begin the slower work of earning trust back.
The book’s emotional center is surprisingly thoughtful. I appreciated that the book doesn’t flatten bullying into a neat “bad rooster becomes good rooster” lesson. Robbie changes, yes, but the book lets the frightened little ones keep their fear. That mattered to me. Children are often asked to forgive too quickly, especially in stories that want a tidy ending, and this one has a gentler, wiser instinct. It says change is possible, but safety still comes first. I liked that balance.
The writing is energetic and playful, which suits a story full of crowing, guitars, dancing chooks, and big feelings. Some of the language has a funny, breathless rhythm, and the repeated sounds give it a lively read-aloud quality. The artwork has the same bold personality. Veronica Rooke’s illustrations are bright, quirky, and full of motion, from the Ukrainian village setting to Robbie’s outrageous rock-star transformation. I especially enjoyed the contrast between the worried, watchful chickens and Robbie’s flamboyant return. The pages feel busy at times, but that busyness also mirrors the chaos of the story, so it mostly works in the book’s favor.
I thought Where Is Robbie? Part 2 was a warm, offbeat, and emotionally grounded picture book about anger, accountability, and the long road back after hurting others. It has humor and flash, but underneath the feathers and guitars, it’s really about learning self-control and respecting someone else’s need to feel safe. I’d recommend it for families and classrooms talking about bullying, forgiveness, fear, and second chances, especially with children who are ready for a story that admits trust takes time, hard work, and care.
Pages: 18 | ASIN : B0GHZM32BK
Bella and Bird Explore Sadness
In Bella and Bird Explore Sadness, Molly arrives in the pasture feeling deeply hurt after being left out by friends, and Bella the gentle horse and Bird the playful barn swallow help her sit with that sadness instead of rushing it away. Through quiet companionship, breathing with a feather, naming feelings on an emotion wheel, drawing what’s inside, and gently questioning “foggy thinking,” Molly begins to understand what she’s feeling and what she can do next.
I appreciated how patient this children’s book is. It doesn’t treat sadness like a problem to fix in three pages, which matters to me as a parent. Molly is allowed to cry, really cry, and that small choice gives the story a surprising amount of emotional honesty. Bella’s guidance feels steady and kind, while Bird brings just enough humor to keep the book from becoming too heavy. A few of the therapeutic ideas are stated pretty directly, so it occasionally reads more like a guided conversation than a traditional story, but for this subject, I didn’t mind. I’d rather have clarity than coyness when a child is trying to understand a big feeling.
The artwork is soft, cute, and impactful. I loved the autumn palette, the wide pasture scenes, and the way Molly’s emotions are always evident. Bella’s large black-and-white presence feels protective, and Bird’s bright colors add a little lift exactly where the pages need it. The visual moments with the emotion wheel and Molly’s drawing are especially useful because they turn abstract feelings into something a child can actually point to and talk about.
I found this to be a thoughtful, tender picture book with a clear purpose and a genuinely comforting heart. It would be especially good for children ages five to ten who get overwhelmed by friendship struggles, rejection, or hard-to-name feelings, and for parents who want a calm way to begin those conversations. It’s a gentle, practical book for families who believe feelings don’t need to be feared, only understood.
Pages: 32 | ASIN : B0GW9JXL7G
Truth Seeker: The Story of Zoroaster
Truth Seeker: The Story of Zoroaster tells the story of Zoroaster from his mother Dugdav’s frightening vision to his own lifelong search for truth, kindness, wisdom, and justice. Author Rebecca DesPrez frames the book as playful historical fiction for ages 8–12 rather than a strict biography, blending legend, imagination, humor, and moral reflection as Zoroaster grows from a laughing baby into a teacher whose ideas challenge cruelty, superstition, and fear.
I liked how much heart this book has. As a parent, I’m always drawn to stories that trust children with big ideas, and this one does. It talks about fear, social rejection, animal cruelty, courage, and moral choice without becoming heavy in a way that would shut a young reader out. The writing has a bouncy, conversational energy, with jokes tucked into serious moments, and that helps soften the darker scenes. Sometimes the humor is broad, almost goofy. I appreciated that the silliness never erased the emotional core. Zoroaster’s compassion for animals, his restlessness around injustice, and his insistence on asking hard questions all felt genuinely moving.
The artwork by Vishwamohini Sengupta adds a gentle, storybook warmth to the book. The images have a soft, rounded quality that makes even the mythic scenes feel accessible, especially the glowing figures, animals, village settings, and palace moments. I found the illustrations especially effective when they brought calm into the story, like visual pauses between danger, exile, storms, and confrontation. The book’s ideas are also unusually rich for a children’s picture book: truth over lies, kindness over cruelty, wisdom over fear, and the courage to stand apart from the crowd. I liked that it doesn’t reduce Zoroaster to a distant historical figure. It imagines him first as a child who notices suffering, asks questions, and can’t quite accept easy answers.
Truth Seeker is thoughtful, lively, and emotionally sincere. It’s not a quiet bedtime book, exactly; it has too much adventure, danger, and mischievous humor for that. But it’s the kind of book I’d want to read with a child and talk about afterward, especially because the back matter offers discussion questions, activities, and historical context for families and teachers. I’d recommend it for curious middle-grade readers, especially kids who enjoy ancient history, moral questions, animal-centered moments, and stories about brave people who keep choosing goodness even when the world pushes back.
Pages: 86 | ASIN : B0GTNJKB5Q
God, Love, and Family
Marion, Faith & Ice Cream follows an eight-year-old’s simple question about believing in God as it unfolds across one day, where family love, sensory wonder, and everyday beauty teach her how to see faith for herself. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The inspiration was my daughter’s family. The gift of becoming a grandparent is being able to view the development of a child from 30 thousand feet. As a parent, you are in the thick of the day-to-day duties and responsibilities, but as a grandparent, your experience allows you to see what really matters. Therefore, God, love, and family are the central elements.
How did you balance writing about faith for children in a way that feels gentle and discovered?
Thank you for asking the question this way. Children are so much more sensory-focused than intuitive, so it was important to me to connect the faith to something they can observe with their own senses. The unseen concepts of air and wind are ones children understand, so drawing the connection gives them a tangible connection to believing versus simply a spiritual one.
Marion’s father, being a scientist, adds an interesting dimension to the story. What drew you to pairing scientific observation with spiritual belief?
My son-in-law is an MD, so pairing a science angle that relies on “proof” with a child’s desire for something concrete seemed like a natural fit.
What do you hope children, and the adults reading with them, feel or talk about after they finish the book?
That God is calling us all to take a leap of faith. I think we all have a deep yearning to believe in something beyond what we can see. Therefore, I hope it gives children (and maybe even some adults) the simple framework to connect this tangible world with the spiritual one.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
Marion isn’t sure. She’s eight years old, full of questions, and she’s never seen God. So how can she know He’s real?
Everything changes during one breezy Saturday. As she watches eagles glide above her, leaves swirl around the yard, and delights in a sparkling lake that seems to wink at her, Marion discovers that the world is filled with things she can’t see but still knows are true. And, maybe faith works the same way…
A beautiful picture book that helps children explore faith, family connections, and the amazing wonders all around us. With loving guidance from her dad, Marion learns that belief is so much more than just what meets the eye.
There’s a Rhinoceros in My House
There’s a Rhinoceros in My House! is a playful picture book built around a wonderfully simple misunderstanding. A sleepy mom, stumbling through the house without her glasses, becomes convinced a rhinoceros has invaded the kitchen, only to discover that the supposed beast is really her husband, noisily making breakfast, flipping pancakes, vacuuming the rug, and clattering through the morning routine. The book turns that small domestic mix-up into a comic little adventure, then lands on a family-table ending that feels affectionate rather than merely punchline-driven.
What I liked most is how fully the book commits to its premise. It doesn’t overcomplicate anything. Instead, it trusts the delicious absurdity of a half-awake mind trying to make sense of thuds, crashes, and splashes. That trust pays off. The repeated rhythm of Mom blinking, squinting, and misreading the chaos gives the story a satisfying bounce, and the reveal works because the book has already made the rhinoceros feel real enough for a child to believe in it for a few pages. The humor is warm. The joke is rooted in family life, in the strange exaggerations that happen when we’re tired, annoyed, or not yet fully in the day.
I especially appreciated how the language leaves room for the wonderful illustrations to carry part of the joke. The book’s ideas are gentle and young readers will be able to recognize them. Every page is filled with colorful, lively artwork that gives the story its energy, with expressive scenes and playful visual details that make the household chaos feel funny, inviting, and easy for children to follow. I especially liked the character sketches at the end, which offer a fun glimpse into how the artwork was created. They add an extra layer of charm to the book, and I think children will love trying to draw the characters on their own. It’s a lovely touch that could easily inspire budding young artists.
I came away from this story smiling. It’s an easy book to imagine reading aloud, especially with relish for the sound effects and the slow, teasing build toward recognition. In the end, what stayed with me wasn’t just the joke of the rhinoceros, but the fondness underneath it, that sense of a family translating everyday racket into story. I’d recommend this picture book to young children who love silly visual misdirection, for families who enjoy read-alouds with a theatrical streak, and for anyone partial to picture books that turn ordinary mornings into something slightly magical.
Pages: 25 | ASIN : B0GNJ3CZ63
