One of the cool things about being part of book launch groups is all the amazing book creators you meet. Michele McAvoy, who hails from New Jersey, was part of my #SeenIn19 group with her book, Cookie & Milk (illustrated by Jessica Gibson, Cardinal Rule Press). Her book is about friendship and, sure enough, Michele proved to be a great friend to everyone, offering support and cheer, and opportunities for many of us to talk books on her My Messy Muse podcast. I’m so happy to welcome Michele to THE KIDS ARE ALL WRITE!
What was your inspiration for Cookie & Milk?
Cookie & Milk is inspired by two important relationships in my life. First, it's inspired by me and my best friend, Wose, who is Ethiopian American. After the Trump election, everyone was so angry at each other across race lines, and I thought how crazy that was. Wose is my best friend; she's like my sister. When we were in college, Wose and I were spending our summer at the Jersey shore. She was scheduled for an interview at a nearby food store. When she arrived, they wouldn't give her the interview. When she returned to my shore house, my dad asked her how it went. She told him that the guy never came out to interview her. He stormed down to the food store, Wose in tow, and demanded that his "daughter" be interviewed as was scheduled. She got the job. It's just easier to love and to get along. There's a twist at the end the book. Some folks pick up on it and some folks don't. Are Cookie and Milk really sisters? When I asked Wose if she got the twist at the end, she said, “I didn't think they were sisters, just that they called each other's moms, ‘Mom,’ like we do.”
In the end, some friendships are as close to family as family can get.
The second relationship that inspired Cookie & Milk is that of my brother and I. We are only a year apart and couldn't be more different. He was always getting into trouble and doing things that would get him hurt, like Milk. And I, on the other hand, was studious and quiet, much like Cookie.
Can you tell us about how this story evolved? Did it change along the way?
Oh, yes. This story changed a bunch! Originally, I had Milk being a motor-mouth and Cookie a more silent character, simply because that was how my brother and I were. He was always going a mile a minute and I would be doing my quiet thing. But I did a critique with the publishers at Just Us Books, who gave me great comments, one being that Cookie needed to have just as much of an active role in the book as Milk. It was not my intention to put Cookie secondary, but the fact that she was reserved and Milk outgoing made her secondary on the page. So that is when the "jinx" concept creeped in and Cookie's character evolved to become just as physically dynamic on the page as Milk. Also, the twist at the end was added in the very last revision with my editor. I love hints and mysteries in books and I just loved when that ending came to me. I like when a book allows you to continue to ask questions and continue a conversation.
What was your book journey like? How long did it take to find your editor?
I would say that this book took about eight months to find a home, with Cardinal Rule Press, once going on submission with my agent. Cardinal Rule Press is a smaller, independent publisher and I have been blessed to work with them.
Michele signing Cookie & Milk at Barnes & Noble
I’m wondering how many picture books are out there that include friendships with kids that are diverse in the way they look and also in their personalities. Are you aware of others? Did they influence you in any way?
I know of many friendship picture books that pin opposites to each other. At a book event recently, a librarian told me that my book paired well with When Pencil Met Eraser, and she was right! There are many books about friendships with opposite personalities but I don't know of any that specifically point out relationships between different races/ethnicities. This relationship was authentic to me, so I guess that's why it was my story to write. I was not influenced by any of the other friendship stories, because this story is taken from my real life. It was pretty easy to write.
Were you surprised by Jessica Gibson’s illustrations? Do you have any favorite spreads?
I was not surprised by Jessica's illustrations because I knew she was amazingly talented. A perk of publishing with a smaller publisher is that you have input into your illustrator. It was extremely important to me to have a woman of color illustrate my book. Cookie & Milk's relationship is real to me and my personal life, but I also wanted that same relationship for the creation of my Cookie & Milk characters. Having a white girl and a brown girl bring this wonderful story to life for children was very important to me. I am blessed to have found Jessica and to have her as my illustrator. I have a lot of favorite illustrations in the book, but two are my "favorite" favorites. The spread with the rainbow and unicorn and Cookie with her big encyclopedia is one of my favorites. It's so colorful and fun and I just love the body language of both Cookie and Milk in that spread. The go-cart spread is also one of my favorites. It's just such a beautiful scene, taking it all in with the city in the background and I LOVE that Jessica put a cookie and milk symbol on the go-cart flag. So special and fun.
What do you hope kids will take away from Cookie & Milk?
At my first bookstore event a little white girl yelled, “Cookie looks like my best friend!” She was so excited. And when her best friend arrived, who was a little brown girl, and they sat together listening to my story, they saw themselves in my book and it made my heart happy. That is what I want kids to take away from Cookie & Milk. I want kids to see themselves in Cookie and Milk's characters, whether it's because of the color of their skin or because they are adventurous like Milk or studious like Cookie or both! Cookie & Milk is about diversity in friendship but it's also about breaking social norms. Girls can do and be anything they want, just like boys, including extreme sports and math and science. I want kids to take that away from this book, too. So essentially, I have high expectations for Cookie & Milk. lol! Change the world? Why not?
Thanks so much for joining us on THE KIDS ARE ALL WRITE, Michele! Is there anything you would like to add?
I want to say thank you for having me. And for anyone who loves kidlit, whether a writer or a teacher, published or unpublished, I want to welcome you into the My Messy Muse community. It's a place I created for all of us to collaborate and help each other create through the messiness (and craziness) that is life. Because life is messy for everyone. Hope to see you all there!
Looking for more places to connect with Michele? You’ll find her
On her website: michelemcavoy.com
On Twitter: michele_mcavoy
On Facebook: Michele McAvoy Author
On Instagram: michelemcavoy
