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By Melissa Stoller www.MelissaStoller.com This March, make a map of your ideas to help evaluate their marketing potential before you write the full-blown story manuscript.  Canva Image Here are some tips to get started:
I hope these prompts help you evaluate and map more ideas in March and beyond . . . let me know in the comments.  MELISSA’S 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. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller  by Dr. Debra Collins It’s amazing what kids can do. Take, for example, this story of a young woman named Victoria who turns discarded, unwanted clothing into lovely, lively, fashionable pieces that are sold to fund a hospice program (Thrift Shop Buried Under 'Rags' Gets Helping Hand). Victoria’s sewing skills and her savvy abilities to transform thrift shop items took root when she was only 10 years old. We see similar know-how in this month’s spotlighted book, NANCY BESS HAD A DRESS.  This lovely book won the Children’s Book Council’s 2025 Librarians' Favorite Award. It also was a 2024 Foreward INDIES Finalist for Picture Book of the Year. Splendid reviews recommend it as a window into American history and a model for encouraging sustainability and conservation. But here, we’ll look at how this story highlights certain competencies in the social-emotional areas of Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Responsible Decision-Making. During the Great Depression and World War II, staples such as flour and grain were sold in cotton sacks. When the sacks were empty, women used the fabric to make dresses and other household items. Companies began making the sacks in attractive prints. Nancy’s story starts when she and her mother are purchasing a sack of flour. Nancy chooses a sack with a daisy print. She helps her mother measure out flour and bake. When the sack finally is empty, she helps measure, cut the fabric, and stitch her new dress. Plus, she saves the unused bits of fabric. From this point on, Nancy measures, cuts, stitches, and saves the unused bits each time there is a reason to repurpose the fabric. Additional refrains, “Waste not, want not” and “Nancy Bess knew how to make do” further highlight her initiative, industry and thriftiness. When Nancy outgrows the dress, she makes herself an apron. When the apron tears, she makes herself a satchel. When the satchel’s strap rips, she sews herself a scarf. When the scarf gets stained, she makes herself a belt. When the belt gets tattered, she makes herself a hairbow. When her hair is cut short for the summer, she turns the hairbow into a collar for her puppy. At each step, we see Nancy actively crafting and then using the repurposed items she made. A dress for school and social outings, an apron to protect her clothes while doing chores, a bag for carrying her schoolbooks, and so on. Eventually, all that is left of the flour sack is “the unused bits,” which Nancy has kept in a basket, along with other scraps of fabric. She still can make something useful! Nancy sews the remaining squares into a pretty patchwork quilt to tuck around her new, baby sibling. What social-emotional competencies can we pull from these threads?
Let’s not limit children to shining only through progress in academics, sports, and other such realms. Kids can develop and demonstrate practical know-how. Like Nancy, like Victoria, a child whose know-how is nurtured can reap – and provide - boundless benefits.  By Melissa Stoller www.MelissaStoller.com This February, make a special effort to find as many ideas as you can. If you are wondering where to locate possible topics, try these locations:  Canva Image
I hope these prompts help you find more ideas in February and beyond . . . let me know in the comments.  MELISSA’S 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, will release 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 Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a member of SCBWI, and a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center 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. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller  by Dr. Debra Collins Picture the shining eyes of a child celebrating another milestone. “I can do it, all by myself!” What of a pampered child who never needs to lift a finger? Does such indulgence make them happier than the child tackling tricky steps toward independence? The month before I left home for college, I suddenly realized I’d taken a lot for granted. I didn’t know how to use a washer and dryer! I’d never shopped for groceries! Studying was something I knew how to do. Being completely responsible for myself was entirely new. I made a concentrated effort to learn how to make sure I’d have clean clothing and food to eat. My parents moved me into the dorm room and drove away, leaving me with a stranger: my randomly-assigned roommate, “Cindy.” That first weekend, I was amazed to discover how worldly-wise I was. I suggested we have a sandwich. Cindy wailed, “I don’t know how to make a sandwich!” I ordered a pizza. Cindy did not know how to remove a slice from the pie! When I put water on to boil, Cindy immediately peered into the pot and asked, “Why aren’t there any bubbles?” For her, everyday practicalities were overwhelming obstacles. When Cindy’s older sister came to visit, it all became clear. Hour after hour, Cindy lay in bed, studying. She only got up when absolutely necessary (to attend class, or for personal hygiene). Cindy’s sister waited on her, hand and foot. Along these lines, let’s take a look at THE PALACE RAT, with the help of the CASEL lens of social-emotional learning.  At the grand palace in Versailles, Henri enjoys a life of luxury. As the darling pet of Louis XIV, Henri dines on delicacies and wears tailored clothes. Each evening, Henri performs his only task: he tells a bedtime story to lull King Louis to sleep. Then, comfy-cozy, Henri slumbers on a pile of satin pillows. The cook, the tailor, and even the queen resent the spoiled rat. They carry out a devious plan. Henri finds himself alone in the countryside, far, far away from the palace. Declaring, “Palace life is the only life I know,” Henri vows to make his way back to King Louis. But before he makes the journey, there are a few things he needs to do. First of all, Henri is hungry. The local peasants (a family of mice) inform him there is no find food, no cook to prepare haute cuisine, no servant to deliver it on a silver tray. Swallowing his horror, Henri joins them as they scrounge through trash. While foraging, Henri snags and soils his shirt. Catastrophe! He cannot return to the palace so disheveled. The mice explain that there are no lovely silk and velvet fabrics, nor is there a tailor. Henri must make do with scraps and rags. Fatigued from the efforts of acquiring food and clothing, Henri seeks a night’s rest. Alas, there are no pillows of satin and goose down, no floral sachets. Not even a roof over Henri’s head! Henri must sleep in an open field. As he bemoans his suffering, longing for rescue, we see that he is sorely lacking a variety of social-emotional competencies. Confident that his needs will be met quite splendidly, he has never tested his abilities. Accordingly, he is unaware of his capabilities, his strengths and limitations. Quite satisfied with his status quo, he has no goals or growth mindset. Pleased with all that has been provided to him, he has never needed to solve a problem. Henri’s Self-Awareness, Self-Management, and Responsible Decision-Making are unsprouted seeds. Henri believes fending for himself will be his undoing. He is quite surprised to find that he does not fall apart. While scavenging, he finds strawberries sweeter than the palace pastries and bits of cheese worthy of a king’s feast. From fabric scraps, he fashions a tunic that he finds suitably stylish and…fashionable! He sleeps in a field fragrant with lavender, under stars more sparkly than the place chandeliers. And the mice don’t snore through Henri’s stories! He attracts crowds of fascinated listeners! HE’S MADE FRIENDS! In addition to discovering pleasures around him, Henri has acquired inner competencies. He has experienced agency and self-efficacy. He has acquired confidence and purpose. Ousted from his narrow (though luxurious) space, Henri finds he enjoys exploring an open world, with an open mind. This new life is sumptuously rich! Henri finds pride in being a Country Rat, pride born of accomplishment rather than entitlement. Far from his undoing, fending for himself has been the making of him. Oh, and my roommate, Cindy? She definitely learned to master practicalities. She became an engineer! By Melissa Stoller www.MelissaStoller.com Cheers to 2026! January is the perfect month to take stock of what you created in 2025 and to plan for the new year. And hopefully during this process, you will be able to jot down some ideas to work on for the next 12 months. Here are some prompts to get you started:  Canva Image
Happy January and cheers to loads of creativity and more in 2026. I hope these prompts helped spark some ideas for the new year . . . let me know in the comments. MELISSA’S 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, September 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, December 2025). Melissa’s next picture book, Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashanah Story, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, will release 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 Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy, a Rate Your Story Judge, a member of SCBWI, and a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center 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 long walks in Central Park. CONNECT WITH MELISSA: https://www.MelissaStoller.com https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller www.twitter.com/melissastoller www.instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller |
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