My Journey to Becoming a Children’s Author (by Janet McCornick)

Covid-19 has impacted countless aspects of our lives. For me, it marked the beginning of a completely unexpected journey. Today, I find myself writing children’s books—a role that still surprises me.

From Instructional Designer to Author

Before the pandemic, I was enjoying retirement as an instructional designer in Tucson, Arizona. When Covid began its relentless spread, it brought two years of fear and isolation, which left lasting effects, particularly on families with young children.

In 2022, as schools reopened, reports surfaced about preschool and kindergarten children being unusually shy and hesitant to participate. Drawing on my experience as a preschool director, I understood that shy children often struggle to adapt to new environments—but the extent of this shyness was unprecedented. I wondered what strategies could help these children find their voice and improve their language and communication skills.

Creating Interactive Picture Books

Inspired to make a difference, I decided to write a series of interactive picture books featuring cartoon or animal characters facing problems familiar to three-to-five-year-olds. The stories cover scenarios like the difficulties of waiting for a special day or learning to make friends. The goal is to nurture kindness, empathy, sharing, problem-solving, and respect for others.

Serve and Return: Engaging Young Readers

With the encouragement of my critique group, I adopted the “serve and return” approach, a proven method for reading to young children. In this style, a teacher asks questions during the story to prompt responses, keeping children engaged and helping them identify characters’ emotions or even predict future actions. These interactive moments support children in naming their own feelings, which can reduce frustration, anger, and acting-out behaviors. Providing various ways to interact—such as asking questions or inviting children to share personal experiences—helps teachers maintain students’ attention and manage group dynamics during storytime.

Launching the First Book

With these ideas, I began to develop my first book, Millie Mermaid Wants to Go to School: Let’s Talk About It. At least that was the plan! However, being a novice to the realities of modern-day book publishing, I had no idea about the learning curve I was about to encounter. However, the feedback about this initial effort was quite positive. Teachers, parents, and grandparents shared that they gained new and valuable insights into their children’s feelings, interests, and needs.

A major highlight was reading to a group of youngsters at our local Barnes & Noble for their Saturday morning event.

Connecting to the Community

During this time, I volunteered to help with book drives with a local nonprofit organization, Make Way for Books. Their staff contributed further ideas and perspectives. Established in 1998, today it delivers literacy and language programs to over 30,000 young children, parents, and educators throughout southern Arizona. The journey continued.

The Value of SCBWI Membership

If you’re part of the writing community, you likely know that SCBWI stands for The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. For newcomers like me, SCBWI has served as a vital lifeline and an invaluable resource. The organization provides access to a wealth of workshops, events, and networking opportunities, bringing together creators and industry professionals. As a nonprofit established in 1971, SCBWI has grown to include 20,000 members worldwide. It is widely recognized as the gold standard for staying current on information about writing and publishing children’s books.

Personally, SCBWI has been my primary go-to source for learning about the industry. Even more importantly, it has helped me connect with fellow writers and illustrators in the southern Arizona area, allowing me to find colleagues who share my passion and commitment to children’s literature.

Mentorship and Expanding My Reach

A pivotal moment in my journey occurred when I reconnected with Elaine A. Powers, someone I had initially met several years ago through a mutual friend. Our paths crossed again at one of Elaine’s book signings, where I took the opportunity to share my vision for an interactive children’s book series featuring Sonoran Desert animals.

The concept for this series centers on stories with embedded questions, thoughtfully crafted to foster language development and social skills in young readers. By weaving these elements into the narrative, the books encourage meaningful engagement with both the storyline and the characters.

The character at the heart of my latest work is Robbie Roadrunner, a lively young desert dweller. Robbie’s story explores his worries about fitting in at Desert Day School—wondering if other students will make fun of his unusual feathers and questioning how he will make friends among those he doesn’t yet know.

Elaine’s editorial support and mentorship have played a crucial role in advancing this project. I am delighted to contribute as a guest blogger on her website and introduce my latest book, Robbie Roadrunner’s New Friends, illustrated by Anderson Atlas and published by Lyric Power. The book is also available on my website, www.DesertDaySchool.com. This will help me reach an even broader audience of children, inspiring their imagination and encouraging conversations through interactive storytelling. A dream comes true. I am deeply grateful to Elaine and Atlas for their encouragement and support in helping to bring this series to life.

A Memorable Interactive Launch

There are some real advantages living in a retirement community like The Fountains of LaCholla. After almost a year, the time had come to officially launch Robbie Roadrunner’s New Friends. So, when our activities director posted this announcement, it started quite a buzz. What would this be like?

It turned out to be quite lively! The slides brought each character to life with appropriate voices, and enthusiastic resident responses. A question-and-answer session and book signing made the afternoon complete. The last question was, “When’s the next book being published so we can do this again?”

This journey is far from complete. There is marketing to be done and the next books to be written. Tell your young friends about Robbie and what he learned at Desert Day School. And stay tuned for his next adventure.

Janet and all my Desert friends