Melanie Florence is the author of the new children's picture book Sarabeth's Garage. Her other books include Stolen Words. She is based in Toronto.
Q: What inspired you to write Sarabeth’s Garage, and how did you create your character Sarabeth?
A: I was inspired by my dad. My dad knew all about cars and he collected classic cars and restored them. I lost my father a few years ago very suddenly and I think I just wanted to honour him in some way. I never learned how to fix cars .. but I know a few things about them thanks to him.
Besides my dad, I think I had this memory of being told girls couldn’t do something. I know my daughter has had the same experience in her life. That she should behave a certain way or dress a certain way.
I think things are changing and definitely have changed. But there are still people, like Sarabeth’s grandmother, who are stuck in this idea of gender norms. I wanted to challenge that.
Q: How would you describe the dynamic between Sarabeth and her grandmother?
A: Sarabeth loves her grandmother and her grandmother loves her. But her grandmother has this very limited idea of who Sarabeth should be. Luckily, she’s got parents who don’t limit her in the same way. And the grandmother learns a lesson from her granddaughter later in the book, which I think was important.
I think it can be hard to admit when you’re wrong, but it was really important to the story to see the grandmother change and grow.
Q: What do you think Nadia Alam’s illustrations add to the story?
A: Nadia’s illustrations match the text so perfectly. The illustrations are playful in a way that I didn’t even imagine when I wrote it. I honestly couldn’t have imagined a better illustrator for the book.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: I think I’d really like readers to put the book down and feel like you can do anything. No matter what anyone tells you, no matter what your dreams are, follow them.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m always working on a few things. Nothing specific and definitely nothing to tell yet. But I’ve got a YA novel and a few picture books in the works.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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