What’s yellow and full of sunny bravado? A Dandy-Lion of course!

Monica Acker is an author, educator, and avid cookie eater. She has a master’s degree in teaching and is a reading tutor in the Reading, Massachusetts school system. She and her husband captain their crew of three children and over a dozen houseplants. You can learn more about Monica at her website or follow her on Instagram.

THE LEGEND OF LEO: A DANDY-LION TALE is a picture book all about … well, a dandelion. Who thinks he’s a lion. And he thinks he’s the king of … well, everything actually. His attitude is downright hilarious and never once waivers which is what really makes this story work. I don’t know that I will ever look at the bright flowers in my yard quite the same way ever again.

Welcome Monica!

Me: Can you tell us a little bit about your writing journey? When did you start writing picture books? How has that brought you to writing this picture book?

Monica: In the mid 2000’s I started working as a Pre-K teacher and rediscovered my love of picture books. They are so brilliant, the art stunning, and the words a pocket-sized performance. The former theater kid in me loved bringing stories to life at circle time. I often framed lessons with a picture book on a particular topic as well, but occasionally, I couldn’t find the just right book and would think someone should write that book. As time went on, I became a mom to one, then two, then three young children. Life got a little bit messier and a lot bit busier, but in the moments of calm or quiet snuggles a story would appear in my mind and would make me think someone should write that book. Finally, in 2018, the Boston Authors’ Club held a panel at my local independent bookstore, Whitelam Books, titled “So You Want to Write a Children’s Book?” And I realized, I did! After that night at the bookstore, I got the writing bug. I joined all of the things and found that stories were everywhere if I just gave them some time to build in my brain.

The Legend of Leo is a Covid baby. With everyone at home, finding time to write was a bit more challenging, but this idea gripped me and I thought someone should write that book. Except this time, I knew that someone was me.

Me: I love that! And I love the personality of your main character! What gave you the idea for this story?

Monica: Thank you, I love him too! During 2020, my youngest and I went on a lot of walks looking for things folks put in the window, doing scavenger hunts, and on this particular day, hunting for kindness rocks someone hid around the elementary school. The neighborhood was always coming up with things for the kids to do outside. My then four-year-old found a dandelion growing from a crack in the retaining wall, picked it, and asked “When will it be a real lion?” By the time we made it back through the front door, the character of a dandelion who was certain he was a lion was formed in my mind.

Me: I love the concept of a character who is so full of himself being humbled. Yet in the end, he also reigns supreme! Did it undergo a ton of revisions to get to its finished state? Or was this story a gift from the muse that was good from the first draft?

Monica: The beginning of the story was a gift from the muse. It was revised, or rather refined, quite a bit but the gist remained the same. The ending, however, went through drastic changes, and two R&Rs, before landing on just what it needed to be.

Me: Can you talk about how you came to publish with Marble Press? Did you shop the story around? Or was this the only publisher you submitted to?

Monica: My fabulous agent, Kaitlyn Sanchez, sent Leo out on a typical submission round and I received an R&R from a publishing house that ultimately resulted in a pass. Then we chose to shop that version, thinking the ending was a bit stronger, and that’s when it received a second R&R. Both R&R’s related to the ending and I was starting to feel like a gymnast who could do a triple full twist (is that a thing?) but couldn’t stick the landing. Luckily for me, both Michael Green and Kaitlyn believed I could, so I gave it a try and won the best prize of all – publishing a book at Marble Press.

Me: That is wonderful! What is one thing that surprised you in writing this story?

Monica: This story was a pantser story from start to finish. This is likely why the ending was a challenge. However, it was so much fun to see what the story wanted to be as I wrote it.  Therefore, in the first draft, every line was a pleasant surprise as it landed on the page.

Me: The illustrations by Mikel Valverde are pitch perfect! I love the way he illustrated all of the plants. Were there any illustration surprises for you? Any favorites?

Monica: Oh my goodness, Mikel Valverde’s illustrations are amazing! I wasn’t sure how an illustrator would bring Leo to life, but Mikel Valverde nailed it! There truly are not enough exclamation points to appropriately show how much I love what he did! The little bug sidekicks do not come from the text but were such a pleasant surprise and will make read alouds extra fun. My absolute favorite image is the first time we see Leo with his white puffs. The body language is ridiculous in the best way and we’re talking about a dandelion with body-language; just brilliant.

Me: Ha! Yes! That is brilliant. Do you have any advice for aspiring picture book writers?

Monica: My advice is to say yes and try. I’ve learned that I never truly know what I’m capable of until I try. I also approach revisions as play. When Kaitlyn asks if I want to try something I usually say, “I’ll play around with it.” I keep the fun and joy of writing at the center of what I do. So next time you are working on a story, look at what you’re writing, have fun, and “play around with it.”

That is great advice Monica. Thank you so much for stopping by my blog today.

Dear readers, this book publishes at the end of the month. If you’re a fan of outrageous characters, you’ll want to keep an eye out for it. It’s downright De-light-ful.