Michelle Conn shares the inspiration behind The Christmas Star, including her desire for children and their emotions to feel seen and understood through her story exploring themes of jealousy and the importance of friendship.

What do you love most about children’s literature?

I feel like everything that is good in the world can be found in children’s literature. Picture books in particular have a magic about them that is hard to compare with any other art form. The synergy between illustration and language is a beautiful thing.

What inspired you to write this story?

The main character, Timmy appeared on my page in 2019. I felt very connected to this little guy dressed as a tree and knew he had a story to tell. The more I developed the character the clearer the story became.

Did any personal experiences contribute to this book?

As an ex-primary teacher I saw that need for children to be really seen. This desire for attention could sometimes come at the expense of other children’s feelings and I thought this was an interesting premise for a picture book.

The Christmas Star deals with the very common feelings of jealousy many children experience. What was it like to write on this topic?

I didn’t want Timmy’s very normal feelings of jealousy to make him act in a mean way. There was no malice to Timmy’s behaviour, he just made bad choices to get noticed. I want kids to know it’s alright to have uncomfortable feelings, it’s just what we choose to do with these feelings that is important.

Was there a favourite scene to write or that you were most excited to see illustrated?

It was fun writing the scenes where Timmy is behaving like a rascal. I loved thinking up and drawing all his hair-brained schemes to gain attention.

What was your writing process for this book?

The entire book was storyboarded with illustrations to begin with and the words came later. I think first and foremost as a visual storyteller so I essentially created a wordless picture book and then kept words to a minimum.

What is your favourite Christmas tradition?

It’s hard to choose just one! So I’ll choose three. Haha! 

Putting up the Christmas tree with my family while blaring Christmas carols! 

Baking Christmas treats with my kids. 

And driving around town looking at the Christmas lights.

What do you hope readers take away from this story?

First and foremost I want them to have fun reading this story and then I hope they feel all the warm and fuzzies about the importance of friendship.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Yes I do! I have some books I’m illustrating that are coming out in 2025 and I have several picture books I’m developing as author and illustrator.