Introducing, Melissa Stoller, Our February Guest Guru

This month, up to four (4) 2026 Rate Your Story Members will have the opportunity to submit and get feedback and a rating from Melissa. Members can request this perk from Judy, Admin Assistant and In-box Coordinator (RateYourStory@gmail.com), and if there are spots available and your manuscript seems like a good fit, you will receive the benefit. 

Non-Members, enjoy learning more about Melissa and her latest book, as well as her path to success!

Q: What did you love about being a child?

A: First, thanks for featuring me as a February Guest Guru! I love being a Rate Your Story Judge and I look forward to seeing submissions.

I loved everything about being a child! I had a very happy childhood with loving parents and a wonderful younger brother, as well as close grandparents and family friends neaby. I grew up in the New York City area, and we spent time absorbing the culture in NYC, as well as enjoying summertime at the beach. Also, my mother was a teacher and my father a lawyer, so we always had books and learning opportunities around the house. I call upon my warm and cherished childhood memories often when brainstorming ideas and writing my manuscripts. 

Q: What brought you to children’s books? 

A: I am a lawyer by training, and I have also worked as a legal research and writing instructor and an early childhood educator. When my oldest child was born and I decided to stay at home with her (and then my next two daughters), I decided to pursue writing for children, something I had always felt passionate about as a lifelong reader, writer, and learner. In fact, I just found a story I wrote and illustrated when I was ten years old, about a family of ducks living on the bay near where I grew up. I have truly loved writing for children and I think it is the best career in the world!

Q: What do you love about children’s books?

A: I love so many things about children’s books. They are meant to be read with an adult and a child, so there is an immediate connection and comfort present when reading together. Children’s books can be filled with wonder and discovery, and can encourage children to use their imaginations while looking and listening. And also I love the use of language in children’s books, and I admire all types of writing including lyrical stories, humorous and loud stories, fiction and non-fiction, and more. I truly love the heartfelt moments in stories that pull at your emotions - that’s what I try to include in my books.

Q: Share a little bit about your most recently-published book, HAZEL AND MABEL: TWO HEARTS APART. How long was its path to publication? What did you learn from this experience? What is your favorite thing about this book? 

A: I am thrilled to share about HAZEL AND MABEL: TWO HEARTS APART, illustrated by Anita Bagdi (Gnome Road Publishing, 2025). I wrote this story several years ago and I was so delighted that Sandra Sutter at GRP acquired the manuscript. It’s a story about two best forest friends (a bear and a raccoon), Hazel and Mabel. When Mabel moves away, the friends stay connected through letter writing. But eventually, they make new friends and try new activities. When Mabel comes back for a visit, they think they will fall back into their friendly routines, but their friendship has shifted. So, they must find creative ways to get their friendship back on track - to get the heart of their friendship beating again. When she acquired the manuscript, Sandra mentioned that she had seen many stories about an actual move, but she liked the idea of a story that dealt with what happens after the move, when friendships change and nothing seems like it once was. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Sandra and the team at GRP. And, Anita’s artwork is absolutely incredible. She includes so many adorable details and truly captures many intangibles of the story - friendship, imagination, longing, frustration, and connection, as well as the letter writing and storytelling aspects of the book. I think my favorite art spread in the book is toward the end where Hazel and Mabel find their connection again. Once acquired, the path to publication was smooth, and took about two years. I enjoyed the editing process, and it was a true joy to see the illustrations bring the story to life! All the heart imagery in the illustrations certainly matches what I tried to do with finding the “heart” of the friendship and the story.

Q: Share your upcoming book and how you drew upon your interests or experience to research / write it. 

A: I am so happy to share about my upcoming book, STELLA’S SPECIAL RECIPE: A ROSH HASHANAH STORY, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova (Kar-Ben Publishing, August 4, 2026).

This is a story that has been marinating in my imagination for a long while, and I’m delighted it will be out this summer! It’s about Stella, who is finally ready to cook her family’s favorite Rosh Hashanah recipe - stuffed cabbage rolls. She uses a recipe passed down from her Bubbe Sophie to her Nana, to her mother, and now to her. She must use her imagination to add an extra ingredient to the recipe and also a bit of love, as her relatives all did. I was really excited to draw on my Jewish heritage, and the special recipe that I have always cooked with my grandmother, my mother, and now my three children. The book also explores a child asking to learn more about their ancestors and about their heritage. And it includes a recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls at the end. Before I submitted the story, I tested the recipe one more time with my mother, and I was so happy I did, and I have photos with my mom and my youngest daughter of that special day. My mom has since passed away, but she knew that the book was acquired and she was so proud. I dedicated the story to her. And I could not be happier with the beautiful artwork by Valerya that brings so much joy and whimsy to the story. I am so excited that the book will be released just in time for Rosh Hashanah!

Q: What do you love about the genre of books you write in (please be specific)?

A: I love reading and writing picture books of all types, and I especially love researching even tiny points that help add details to stories whether fiction or non-fiction. For example, for HAZEL AND MABEL, I researched forest animals and their habitats to make sure I was accurate in details. And in the story, the characters find cloud shapes in the sky, so I researched about clouds. Not all the research appears in the story, but I like to know the background of my story - it helps me build an authentic world for the characters. For STELLA’S SPECIAL RECIPE, I researched about the origins of stuffed cabbage rolls all around the world. 

Q: What does a story need to make it a favorite for you?

A: Generally, I like stories with a fully developed plot, a strong beginning, a middle that is not muddled, an ending that hits the right notes of earned/expected and satisfying, and maybe even a little twist along the way or at the very end. I love when I get to the end of a picture book, and I have an emotional reaction - an ahhh, ooooh, wow, sigh, maybe even a slight tear. Something to show me that I felt something when reading the story. And that means I will return to that story over and over!

Q: Share a story that you love and why. 

A: I have two to share. First, a picture book I love (and wish I wrote ha ha!) is BUNNY’S BOOK CLUB by Annie Silvestro, illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss. It has so many elements I enjoy - forest friends, books, a library, and a book club! My own adult book club has been meeting consistently for over 26 years, and I conducted a book club with my children and other families (I even wrote a parenting book about organizing and conducting a family book club!). So this picture book is one of my favorites. My favorite childhood book is FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by e. l. konigsburg. This classic middle grade Newbery Medal-winning novel is set at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, and it’s full of secrets, sibling adventure, humor, and suspense. I gave a presentation at the University of Pennsylvania, Kelly Writers Center, about why this was my favorite book growing up. You can see that here. https://www.melissastoller.com/events/events-sensible-nonsense/

Q: What is a common issue you see in the manuscripts you critique?

A: I truly love being a RYS judge and I appreciate all the amazing stories that writers submit that are so well thought out, interesting, and well written! I do think the magic of creating a submittable manuscript often is shaped in the revision stage, and I try to offer questions and suggestions that will help writers take their manuscripts to the next level. Generally, some common issues that I see include: motivation for the main character that needs to be amplified, stakes if the main character doesn’t achieve their goals that need to be stronger, a more well-defined “so what” or a main takeaway, more “heart” where the reader really cares about and roots for the main character or other side characters, too many obstacles or obstacles that are not well-defined or achievable, and ideas that are wonderful but seem to be done before too many times or are not “fresh” enough to stand out in today’s competitive publishing environment. 

Q: Please share a Submission Tip with our Members. 

A: Check to see if your story has enough “heart” - a moment that ties the story together and makes the reader want to cheer for the main character. Also - re-readability is a huge factor, especially for adults buying expensive picture books. Make sure your story has that “wow” factor that would make a child pick it up again and again (and that would encourage an editor to acquire it in the first place).

Q: Please share a Revision Tip for our Members. 

A: I like to revise in stages - large scale revisions such as overall logic of the plot, character arc, obstacles, heart and humor, and more.  Then I also revise for small scale revisions such as language, page turns, imagery, tone, writing voice, grammar, and more. Also, word counts on picture books are low so make sure every word and every page advances the story, and if not, cut, cut, cut!

Q: Name subjects you would like to read about. 

A: I love to read about friendship, family connections and rituals, whimsical topics, humor, and more. I am also always happy to read a narrative non-ficture picture book or a PB biography to learn something new!

Q: Name subjects you would not like to read about.

A: There are not too many topics I don’t like to read about, and probably topics like a horror story are not appropriate for children anyway (ha ha). Tough topics can be challenging but if they are handled well, they are so important to help children deal with the challenges in the world. 

Q: Share something you wish we had asked you about, but didn’t! 

A: These were great questions - but one thing I didn’t mention is aside from my three children, I am also a dog mom. My little dog is turning 12 this month but she still acts like a puppy. She is a great writing companion and sits beneath my feet as I write! And I have a dog story in my files that perhaps one day will make its way to a book. 

Q:  Share a fun fact about YOU! 

A: I love swimming, snorkeling, and collecting shells and sea glass - the beach is definitely my happy place. Unless I’m in the city, and then I love long walks in Central Park, museum exhibits, and Broadway shows. Oh, and I also love playing Mah Jong and Canasta! 

Thanks so much for this opportunity to share with the RYS community! 

BIO: Melissa Stoller writes to bring heartfelt connection and joy to her readers. Her recent picture books include: Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart, illustrated by Anita Bagdi (Gnome Road Publishing, 2025) and Mojo’s Return: A Story of Resilience and Hope, illustrated by Uzi Binyamin (co-authored with Lishay Miran Lavi and Mary Millman) (Niv Publishing, 2025). Melissa’s next picture book, Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashanah Story, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, releases from Kar-Ben Publishing on August 4, 2026. Melissa is also the author of the chapter book The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection - Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written). Melissa is a Rate Your Story Judge, a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy, a member of SCBWI, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Trustee, and a former school and synagogue trustee. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and travel. www.MelissaStoller.com

CONNECT WITH MELISSA:

https://www.MelissaStoller.comhttps://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStollerwww.twitter.com/melissastollerwww.instagram.com/Melissa_Stollerwww.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller