01 Jul Melissa Stoller and STELLA’S SPECIAL RECIPE Plus a Giveaway!
EL: Welcome, everyone! I’m thrilled to have my friend and critique buddy, Melissa Stoller, back on the blog with her newest book, STELLA’S SPECIAL RECIPE: A ROSH HASHANAH STORY. This is such a sweet and special book. 
Melissa, this story has a very true ring to it. Is it based on something from your own family? Will you tell us a little bit about it?
MS: Thank you so much, Ellen, for featuring me on your blog! And thank you for being an amazing critique partner!
In STELLA’S SPECIAL RECIPE: A ROSH HASHANAH STORY, Stella helps prepare a feast for the Jewish Rosh Hashanah (New Year) holiday. She follows a recipe that has been handed down from her great-grandmother, to her grandmother, to her mother, and they all added their special touches and bits of love to the recipe. Now, Stella must figure out her own special ingredient that she can add to her family’s recipe. This story is definitely based on my experiences of cooking holiday meals, including stuffed cabbage with my nana and my mother, and also with my own three children. Intergenerational relationships are so important to me, and I am lucky to have strong connections in my family through the generations. So many of my core memories were formed during holiday preparations, sharing recipes, and learning more about my family history. As I was writing this story, I remembered all the bonding moments that occurred as I cooked with my family, and I tried to add these heartfelt memories to this book.
EL: So this book is about food…but really not. (Although I am going to try the recipe 😊 ) What do you feel the theme is, and how did you decide to write about it?
MS: Yes – this story is about a recipe and about food, but at its heart it’s about a little girl who is trying to find her place in her family. Stella wants to contribute to her family’s favorite holiday dish, and she also wants to add a little bit of herself into her family legacy. Also included in the book are collecting food like tomatoes from the family garden and enjoying sweet objects handed down through the generations, like a heart necklace. Food, cooking, sharing holiday traditions, and celebrating family heirlooms are the specific themes of this book, but they are also universal themes that will hopefully resonate with readers.
EL: These are definitely universal themes. I think the illustrations are perfect for your book. Did you get to communicate with your illustrator?
MS: I totally agree! Valerya Milovanova’s illustrations are absolutely stunning. I love her color palette, and the expressions on Stella’s face are just adorable. And the page with the butterflies flit flittering makes me smile every time I see it! I truly loved seeing the story come to life through Valerya’s artwork. We didn’t have any communication throughout the process, but now I follow her posts on Instagram where she shares a bit about her process, which is so fascinating. I feel so lucky that she illustrated this project!
EL: What inspires you?
MS: I find inspiration everywhere! This story was based on family memories and holiday celebrations, and so it was very personal. For HAZEL AND MABEL: TWO HEARTS APART (illustrated by Anita Bagdi, Gnome Road Publishing, 2025), I found inspiration in experiences my children and I had with friends who moved away and how to keep connected even when far away. In all my stories, I like to capture heart moments, add humor where I can, and bring joy to my readers. And I always want readers to be able to relate to the stories in some way so that the books feel meaningful, and so readers want to enjoy them again and again.
EL: Do you have any words of advice for aspiring kidlit writers?
MS: My main advice to aspiring kidlit writers is to keep going! Over the years, I have participated in many kidlit courses, webinars, and conferences, taken advantage of writing groups and challenges, grown with several amazing critique groups (including ours, Ellen!), and truly immersed myself in the kidlit community to hone the craft of writing for children. Also, I try to read and study as many picture books as possible to stay current with what is selling in the marketplace. And, I try to be open to finding and cultivating ideas at all times. As I tell children when I do school visits, we are all storytellers, and we all have unique ideas that we can share. I always encourage writers to dig deep into their family histories and rituals, surface childhood memories, and observe their surroundings to find ideas and turn those ideas into stories. So keep writing and keep creating. The world needs our stories!
EL: Thanks! I can’t help but add another wonderful illustration! 
!
MS: Thanks for asking these terrific questions, Ellen, and for the opportunity to be on your wonderful blog!
EL: Thank YOU for joining me! And congratulations again!
Pre-Order at:
https://www.amazon.com/Stellas-Special-Recipe-Hashanah-Story/dp/B0G4T51J5P/
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/stellas-special-recipe-melissa-stoller/1148903370?ean=9798765670552
Add to your Goodreads Account at:
MELISSA’S BIO:
Melissa Stoller writes to bring heartfelt connection and joy to her readers. Melissa’s newest picture book, Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashanah Story, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova, releases from Kar-Ben Publishing on August 4, 2026. Her recent picture books include: Hazel and Mabel: Two Hearts Apart, illustrated by Anita Bagdi (Gnome Road Publishing, 2025) and Mojo’s Return: A Story of Resilience and Hope, illustrated by Uzi Binyamin (co-authored with Lishay Miran Lavi and Mary Millman) (Niv Publishing, 2025). Melissa is also the author of the chapter book The Enchanted Snow Globe Collection – Return to Coney Island, and the picture books Scarlet’s Magic Paintbrush; Ready, Set, GOrilla!; Sadie’s Shabbat Stories; Planting Friendship: Peace, Salaam, Shalom; and Building Bridges: Peace, Salaam, Shalom (co-written). Melissa is a Rate Your Story Judge, a Blogger for the Children’s Book Academy, a member of SCBWI, a Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center Trustee, and a former school and synagogue trustee. In other chapters of her life, Melissa has worked as a lawyer, legal writing instructor, freelance writer/editor, and early childhood educator. She lives in New York City with her family, and enjoys theatre, museums, and travel.
CONNECT WITH MELISSA:
- https://www.MelissaStoller.com
https://www.MelissaStoller.com/blog
http://www.facebook.com/MelissaStoller
instagram.com/Melissa_Stoller
www.pinterest.com/melissa_Stoller
And now, it’s time for a …
Melissa is happy to give one lucky winner (U.S addresses only) a signed book along with some swag. Just comment on this post to get in the running. GOOD LUCK!
Until next time,
Ellen
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