Mélina Mangal
Mélina Mangal has authored many children’s books, including the Outside Our Window board book series, The Vast Wonder of the World: Biologist Ernest Everett Just, Jayden’s Impossible Garden, and Jayden’s Secret Ingredient. Mélina was drawn to the Boggs’ compassionate spirit and commitment to urban gardening. Mélina also works as a librarian in Minnesota and enjoys spending time outdoors with her family.
Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
What stands out are the autobiographies of Langston Hughes and Josephine Baker I first read in sixth grade.
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“I want to catch words one day. I want to hold them
then blow gently,
watch them float
right out of my hands.”
—Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl DreamingWho are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Only three? Definitely Virginia Hamilton, Mildred Taylor, and Rita Williams-Garcia for starters . . .
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I wanted to highlight the lives and stories of people whose lives have not been represented—to write stories I wish had been available to me as a child.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Listen to the wind and the water and the whispers around you. Listen to yourself. Write what you hear. Write what you want to hear. Write what you need to hear.
