Jeanette Stampone invites children and adults to welcome people from different cultures and ways of life through her fantastical story Dragon Guest Handbook.

What do you love about writing children's books?

Children’s books take me back to when my mother read to me. I have such lovely memories of snuggling down in my blankets while she sat at the end of the bed and read book after book. So, being able to create my own stories and giving that experience to another family is a really wonderful thing. When you see a child’s reaction to your own books, it’s really special and makes all the work worth it.

And of course, children’s books are fun to write! I love playing with the words and making them sing on the page. I love using my imagination to create quirky, fun stories. Stories I would have loved to read when I was a child.

What inspired you to write Dragon Guest Handbook?

The dragon was originally an alien! The alien idea came from a Facebook group called ‘52-Week Picture Book Challenge’. Every week, the group admin would post a prompt and members would come up with a brief idea based on that prompt. One week it was zap! This inspired me to think of an alien with a zapping machine who lands in a backyard and has to integrate into human life. Unfortunately, I found a very similar book on the market and almost gave up on the idea. I was so disappointed! But I talked to my writing group and one of them suggested I use another animal or fantasy creature instead. That’s when the dragon popped into my head. It completely changed the whole feel of the story and was actually a lot better!

Did you have any personal experiences that contributed to this new book?

I am from the UK originally, so I do understand what it is like to move to a completely new place. However, I wanted to take it a step further and create more challenges for the character including language, behavioural and cultural differences.

How did the writing process for this book compare to your previous children’s books?

The main difference is that this book is written in second person point-of-view and it’s in the style of an instructional manual, rather than a traditional narration. I didn’t really plan it this way. I just started writing and it’s how it come out on paper. It felt natural and fun to write in this style, and I knew it was right for this book.

What do you hope your readers will take away from Dragon Guest Handbook?

I hope children (and adults) will think about how we can welcome people from different cultures, especially those who can’t speak English. There’s so much we can do to be friendly, even if we don’t speak the same language. The book explores written, spoken and non-verbal communication, encouraging readers to consider how kindness and understanding is a universal language.

What was it like to work with an illustrator on this story? Were there particular images or experiences that you were excited to see?

As this book is traditionally published, I didn’t work directly with the illustrator, Novia. I did get a few sneaky peeks and was asked for a small amount of input, but it was mostly up to Novia to work with my manuscript and come up with her own interpretations. I really think this is important as it allows the illustrator to have freedom of creativity, just as I did when I wrote the story. I also really love the surprise and not knowing what to expect! My favourite illustrations from the book are the surfing dragon and the fire-burping! Novia’s style is really cute and fun, and I was so excited to see it all come together.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have a few manuscripts I’m sending out to publishers with everything crossed! I always have something on the go. I don’t think it ever stops! I’ve also been working on developing my drawing skills and have been spending a lot of time creating illustrations to submit with my newest manuscripts. Understanding narratives through the illustrative lens has certainly been a challenge, but I am really enjoying the journey. I look forward to seeing what’s around the corner!