Who Says Poo is a delightful and hilarious story that plays on words from different languages, each sounding like “poo” but with entirely distinct meanings. What was the inspiration for creating this unique story?

My partner was sitting on our couch in the living room using Duolingo to learn French. I was in the bedroom folding laundry. And then I heard her say “Poupée” and I giggled at how it sounded like “poo.” Then I instantly thought, ‘I wonder if there are words in other languages that also sound like poo!’ And that single moment sparked the creation of Who Says Poo!

The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with the illustrator?

I wanted to make sure that the collaboration process was as seamless as possible. So I created a few PDFs that I sent to the artist. The first PDF was about character design, thoughts on color, and overall formatting. The other PDF was the full formatted layout of the book, and I included many reference images for each page, including detailed descriptions of exactly what I wanted in the illustration of each scene. But I also made sure to leave room for the artist to experiment, have fun, and add their own twists to each image.

My artist, Mark Nino Balita, did such a great job of making the art come alive! They were easy to talk with, and a joy to collaborate with. Mark would send me proofs, and if I had any notes, I’d send them their way. Mark nailed it! I had very few notes. Mark even added a few spins on the book that I had never even thought of doing. Mark’s hard work and expertise shine on every page.

What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?

I made so many wonderful memories while writing Who Says Poo. But the scene I had the most fun writing would be on page 24, the Japanese sound, あっぷっぷ (“A-Poo-Poo”). It was the most challenging to write. Unlike the other words that have a perfect literal translation, this does not. It’s like a colloquialism, mixed with an onomatopoeia. So to try to craft the right definition for it, and use it in a sentence created such a wonderfully fun challenge, and when I look back through the book, it makes me so proud that I nailed it.

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

I never expected to actually write one children’s book, much less a series! For now this is just a single book. But if reception is good, I do have a few great ideas to turn this into a series of books where I might explore the onomatopoeia of different languages compared to English. There are some fun sounds out there to explore and teach. Other languages and cultures teach us so much about the world, and I think it’s a beautiful thing to start getting your child curious at a young age!

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