Cover and interior book design for POWERLESS,  SUPER, and VILLAINOUS all written by Matthew Cody. Cover illustrations by Geoffrey Lorenzen. Click on the titles to learn more about these books and here for a fun interview with Matthew Cody.

Original Hardcover and Paperback design for the American version of THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak. Click on the title for more information. Melissa also designed the hardcover and paperback of I AM THE MESSENGER.

Book Design and Art Direction for THE SLEEPY LITTLE ALPHABET written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Learn more about the book by clicking on the title.

Book design and art direction for the first several books in the LUNCH LADY series by Jarrett J. Krosoczka. Melissa had such a blast helping bring Lunch Lady to life. To learn more about Jarrett and the Lunch Lady books check out: studio jjk.com

Book Design and Art Direction for A SPLASH OF RED written by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Please click on the title to learn more about this book.

PRAISE

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, February 18, 2013:

“Quotations from Pippin about the psychological scars of war and his artistic process are hand-drawn into Sweet’s images, underscoring how art was not only a joyful outlet for Pippin, but also a vital means of interpreting the world.”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, January 1, 2013:

“Bryant’s meticulously researched, eloquent text makes this a winning read-aloud, while Sweet’s vibrant, folksy illustrations, rendered in watercolor, gouache, and mixed media, portray the joys and hardships of the man’s life, using his trademark palette…with just a splash of red.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2012:

“This outstanding portrait of African-American artist Horace Pippin (1888-1946) allows Pippin’s work to shine—and his heart too.”

Starred Review, Booklist, November 1, 2012:

“…a well-structured narrative with recurring themes and a highly accessible style…outstanding.”

Design for American Editions of TRACTION MAN IS HERE and THE VERY SMART PEA AND THE PRINCESS TO BEE both by Mini Grey. Please click on the titles for more information about the books.

AWARDS for TRACTION MAN IS HERE!

New York Times Best Illustrated Book WINNER

ALA Notable Children’s Book WINNER 2006

Booklist Children’s Editors’ Choice WINNER 2005

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award WINNER 2005

Child Magazine Best Book of the YearWINNER

National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) WINNER 2005

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year WINNER 2005

Kate Greenaway Medal NOMINEE 2005

Wyoming Buckaroo Award NOMINEE

Design and co-art direction with Joann Hill for POCKETFUL OF POEMS by Nikki Grimes, illustrated by Javaka Steptoe.

GOOD SPORTS by Jack Prelutsky illustrated by Chris Raschka.

Starred Review, Booklist, March 2007:

"Prelutsky’s smoothly rhyming quatrains, ideal for recitation, cover team sports . . . as well as several individual ones,and celebrate disciplined efforts as exuberantly as noncompetitive play."

Design of Hardcovers, Limited Editions, Box Sets for Eragon and Eldest.

Design and art direction for WHAT CAN A CRANE PICK UP? written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and illustrated by Mike Lowery. 

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

“…it’s clear that this machine lives in the best of all possible worlds: where happiness is busyness, calm competence prevails, and no job is too small. Sign us up.”

Book design and Art Direction for 10 TRICK OR TREATERS written by Janet Schulman and illustrated by Linda Davick. To learn more about this book and others in the series, click on the title.

Art Direction and design for PUNK FARM and PUNK FARM ON TOUR. Click on the titles for more information. Plus check out Punk Farm the band.unk Farm the band...

Child Magazine Best Book of the Year WINNER 2005

Book design and art direction for Dancing Feet and Farmyard Beat, both written by Lindsey Craig and illustrated by Marc Brown. To learn more about these books click on the titles.

AWARDS for FARMYARD BEAT

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio WINNER 2011

Bank Street Child Study Children’s Book Award NOMINEE

Art direction and Design for MINE! by Shutta Crum and illustrated by Patrice Barton. This book only has 13 words, 12 of them are "mine" — so the art played a huge role in conveying the story and was put together much like scenes in a short film. To learn more click on the title above.

PRAISE

NYTimes.com, August 17, 2011:

“[A] delightful example of the drama and emotion that a nearly wordless book can convey…the laughter of young readers will doubtlessly round out the narrative.”

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, April 18, 2011:

“Crum uses only the title word (if you don’t count a single “Woof?”), but the various inflections speak volumes about the comic dynamics of sharing…[Barton’s] dizzyingly expressive digitized pencil sketches seem to be everywhere at once continually reframing the action to make sure readers savor every gleefully anarchic moment.”

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2011:

“The capricious artwork has touches of Helen Oxenbury and Marla Frazee’s babies, smudgy, digitized pencil sketches full of movement and joy…This charming, animated episode will elicit giggles and demands of ‘read it again!‘”

Starred Review, School Library Journal, June 2011:

“The two youngsters are simply adorable, and their alternating surprised and gleeful expressions, as well as those of their canine accomplice, are priceless. In a final scene, the women reclaim the water-soaked children in a room now much the worse for wear. Youngsters will eagerly participate in repeated tellings of this watery escapade.”

Design for SEE THE CITY (Winner of AIGAs 50 books/50 covers) written and illustrated by Matteo Pericoli and STELLINA, also by Matteo Pericoli. Click on the titles and author name for more information.

Praise for SEE THE CITY

“(Pericoli) celebrates creativity while paying homage to the Manhattan he loves.”—USA Today

“Pericoli dazzles with his style and conveys warm appreciation of that which seems ordinary.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Full of charm and energy and life…a marvelous work for children. … Just wonderful.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

Praise for STELLINA

“Winsomely written and illustrated.”—The New York Times

“Small readers will be won over, and bigger ones will be enchanted.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“Poignant and thoughtful, his memoir will not fail to endear Stellina to readers of all ages.”—Publishers Weekly

Book Design for YA novel THE BEAUTIFUL AND THE CURSED written by Page Morgan. To learn more about the book, click on the title.

Book Design for THE DARK BETWEEN and THE REVENANT, both by Sonia Gensler. To learn more about the books, click on the titles. And check out the authors site here for cool book trailers and more!

AWARDS for THE REVENANT

Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Book WINNER 2012

Oklahoma Sequoyah Children’s Book Award NOMINEE 2014

Oklahoma Book Award FINALIST 2012

Hardcover and paperback design for RETURN TO SENDER by Julia Alvarez. To learn more about the book, please click on the title.

Art direction and book design for MIND YOUR MANNERS B.B. WOLF and TELL THE TRUTH B.B. WOLF both written by Judy Sierra and illustrated by J.Otto Seibold. Please click on the titles for more information.

Art Direction and Book Design for the American Edition of HALIBUT JACKSON by David Lucas. Please click on the title for more information.

Art direction and book design for TURTLE'S PENGUIN DAY written and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Please click on the title for more information about the book.

PRAISE

Starred Review, School Library Journal, August 2008:

"This nurturing tale celebrates the inspiration and information found in books."

AWARDS

Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices WINNER

Indiana Young Hoosier Award NOMINEE

North Dakota Flicker Tale Children’s Book Award NOMINEE

A few of the books Melissa has had the pleasure of designing and art directing by Judy Sierra and Marc Brown — ZOOZICAL, WILD ABOUT BOOKS (co art direction with Isabel Warren-Lynch), and WILD ABOUT YOU. Click on the titles for more information.

Awards for WILD ABOUT BOOKS

AWARDS

ALA Notable Children’s Book WINNER 2005

Book Sense Book of the Year WINNER 2005

EB White Read Aloud Award (Association of Booksellers for Children) WINNER 2005

Irma Simonton Black Award WINNER 2004

Kentucky Bluegrass Master List WINNER 2006

Mom’s Choice Platinum Award (for Ages 7 UP) WINNER 2005

National Parenting Publications Award (NAPPA) WINNER 2004

Praise for ZOOZICAL

PRAISE

Starred Review, PublishersWeekly, June 6, 2011:

“Teens have Glee, tweens have High School Musical, and with this snappy follow-up to Wild About Books younger siblings can delight in the joy of putting on a show…With humor and gusto, Brown’s richly textured folk art–inspired pictures convey the characters’ dramatic shift in moods and imbue them with abundant personality. Meanwhile, Sierra’s riffs on familiar tunes guarantee that readings will be very musical affairs, with children enthusiastic participants.”

Book design and art direction for MONSTER'S DON'T EAT BROCCOLI written by Barbara Jean Hicks and illustrated by Sue Hendra. Click on the title for more information about the book.

Book Design for YOUR OWN, SYLVIA by Stephanie Hemphill. Click on the title for more information.

PRAISE for YOUR OWN, SYLVIA

Starred review, Kirkus Reviews, February 2007:

"[R]eaders come away with a sense ofreally knowing Plath . . . a must for any young-adult reader of poetry or Plath."

Starred review, Booklist, February 15, 2007:

"[A]n intimate, comprehensive, imaginative view of a life, which also probes the relationships between poetry and creativity, mental fragility, love, marriage, and betrayal."

Starred review, The Horn Book Magazine, March/April 2007:

"Hemphill’s verse, like Plath’s, is completely compelling: every word, every line, worth reading."

Cover design for BOY MEETS BOY by David Levithan. Melissa has had the pleasure of working with David Levithan on several of his books ( a handful shown below) — and it all began with this one. To learn more about this book, please click on the title. 

Book Design for SKATE by Michael Harmon. Please click on the title to learn more about the book.

Co-design with Christian Fuenfhausen with Art Direction by Angela Carlino for SHOW AND PROVE by Sofia Quintero — which was recently named one the the top 30 best young adult covers of 2015 on Bustle.com. Click on the title for more information about the book.

Hardcover book series design for THE SHADOWFELL NOVELS by Juliet Marillier. 

Design and Art Direction for the lovely WILDWOOD DANCING and CYBIL’S SECRET by Juliet Marillier. Art by Kinuko Y. Craft.

Awards for WILDWOOD DANCING

Winner of the Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2006)

Winner of the Beehive Book Award for Young Adult Fiction (2009)

Best Children’s Books of the Year, published by the Bank Street College of Education (2007)

A YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Best Book for Young Adults (2007)

A US Board of Books for Young People and Children’s Book Council Outstanding International Book (2008)

Awards for CYBIL’S SECRET

An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2009)

Winner of New Zealand’s Sir Julius Vogel Award, given to the best young adult novel (2008)

Finalist in the Aurealis Awards (2007)

Finalist in the Western Australian Premier’s Book Awards (2007)

Book design for THE FLOATING ISLANDS by Rachel Neumeier. Cover art by Fernando Juarez. Click on the title for more information about the book.

Book Design for THE STONE GIRL by Alyssa B. Sheinmel. Please click on the title for more information about the book.

Book Design and art direction for MODERN FAIRIES, DWARVES, GOBLINS & OTHER NASTIES: A Practical Guide by Miss Edythe McFate written by Lesley M. M. Blume and illustrated by David Foote. Also another reissue by Lesley!

Book design and art direction for THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN AND THE DRAGON QUEEN written by Shutta Crum with cover and interior illustrations by Lee Wildish. Please click on the title for more information about this book.

AWARDS

New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing WINNER

Florida Sunshine State Book Award NOMINEE 2014

Book design and art direction for THE SECRET PLAN written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach. Melissa also had the pleasure of working on Subway Story with her.

Praise for SUBWAY STORY

PRAISE

Starred Review, The Horn Book Magazine

“Sarcone-Roach displays a discipline not always seen in books about the environment; she allows her theme of reuse and recycling to emerge naturally from a fine story and lets readers draw their own conclusions without adding a heavy-handed one of her own.”

Book design and art direction for THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS by Camille Saint-Saëns, new verses by Jack Prelutsky, and illustrated by Mary Grandpré. Click on the title for more information.

AWARDS

New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing WINNER

Bank Street Child Study Children’s Book Award FINALIST

Book rebrand for the busy animals books — BUSY PANDAS, BUSY PENGUINS, BUSY BUNNIES, BUSY DOGGIES, BUSY KITTIES, and BUSY CHICKENS — for more information click here.

Art Direction for EVERY-DAY DRESS-UP by Selina Alko. Please click on the title for more information.

Rebrand design of HOLA! JALAPEÑO, FIRST BOOK OF SUSHI, YUM YUM DIM SUM, and LET'S NOSH! all by Amy Wilson Sanger. To learn more about this books, click here.

Owl Love You by Wednesday Kirwan and Matthew Heroux

Book design and Art Direction. For more information go here

The sun is setting, time to rise! At dusk, when an owl’s day is just beginning, a baby owl asks questions and a mama owl offers comforting answers in this gentle, reverse bedtime book, featuring lulling, lyrical text and luminous illustrations of the nighttime world.

PRAISE

"Heroux's simple rhymes are a good bet for beginning readers . . . Kirwan's painterly illustrations capture a lovely middle-of-the-night feeling with a deep, dark palette."—Kirkus Reviews

Ode to an Onion

Art Direction and Design. For more information go here.

(1904–1973). Pablo has a lunch date with his friend Matilde, who shows the moody poet her garden. Where Pablo sees conflict and sadness, Matilde sees love and hope. The story is less a biography of Neruda and his muse, Matilde Urrutia (1912–1985), and more a simple ode to a vegetable that is humble and luminous, dark and light, gloomy and glad, full of grief and full of joy—just like life.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

PRAISE

"Onionskin endpapers are a nice touch to an introduction to the Chilean poet who paid tribute to familiar objects."—Booklist

—

"Sala's exuberant illustrations are playful and colorful . . . a sweet story about the creative process."—Kirkus Reviews

—

"Children who love words should warm to Alexandria Giardino's ODE TO AN ONION: Pablo Neruda & His Muse . . . In Felicita Sala’s vivacious and beautifully detailed drawings, done in colored pencil, Mathilde’s smile and Pablo’s glum expression give a tender humor to this real-life relationship."—New York Times

—

"A handsome book about appreciation."—San Francisco Chronicle

—

"Gloomy versus hopeful. Therein lies the timeless tension between Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda and his wife-to-be in this lovingly envisioned and supremely handsome book."—San Francisco Chronicle

—

"This one is a treat for the eyes and ears."—Maria Russo, New York Times Children's Book Editor

Book Design and Art Direction for BOATS ON THE BOATS ON THE BAY written by Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrated by Grady McFerrin. Learn more about the book by clicking on the title.

The Northern California Independent Booksellers Association's (NCIBA) Golden Poppy Award in the Picture Book Category

A KidLitTV recommended book!

also now available in board book!

A large-format picture book about a bunch of boats found on a busy bay, buoyed by simple, spare, and lyrical text. Inspired by the San Francisco Bay but with universal appeal, the book features a spectacular double-spread gatefold finale showing a boat parade and fireworks glowing against a city backdrop.

PRAISE

"A well-designed book with a simple, approachable text."—Kirkus Reviews

—

"Simple, serene text coupled with stunning, sweeping illustrations."—Avery & Augustine

—

"This is McFerrin’s debut picture book. . . .He manages to capture textures you want to reach out and touch."

"Harvey’s short, simple sentences, many with internal rhymes . . . make this a good fit for emerging readers."—Things That Go Zoom, Julie Danielson, Kirkus Reviews

—

"A celebration of place and a catalogue of the kinds of vessels dear to the hearts of boat enthusiasts young and old."—Publishers Weekly

—

"This mini intro to our safe harbor is perfect run-up or follow-up for a leisurely stroll along the Embarcadero, bracing bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, or ferry tour around Alcatraz. Take-home message: Take notice."—San Fransisco Chronicle

Art direction and design of CHEF EDNA, Queen of Southern Cooking by Melvina Noel and illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera.

A warm and inviting picture-book portrait of African American culinary legend Edna Lewis, who brought Southern cooking to the masses

Edna loved to cook. Growing up on a farm in Freetown, Virginia, she learned the value of fresh, local, seasonal food from her Mama Daisy, how to measure ingredients for biscuits using coins, and to listen closely to her cakes to know when they were done. Edna carried these traditions with her all the way to New York, where she became a celebrated chef, who could even turn traditional French food into her signature Southern style. The author of several cookbooks and the recipient of numerous awards, Chef Edna introduced the world to the flavors of her home.

PRAISE

“This tribute to a dedicated champion of traditional Southern food and culture makes a wonderful read-aloud.”—Booklist

Melvina Noel loves to write and to bake cakes. Thanks to Edna, she listens to her cakes to tell her when they are done. Noel lives in Virginia. This is her debut picture book. Cozbi A. Cabrera is an award-winning illustrator whose gorgeous books—including Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, published by Abrams—have garnered a Coretta Scott King Honor as well as a Caldecott Honor for illustration. She lives in Illinois.

Art direction and design for I DARE! I CAN! I WILL! by Linda Olafsdottir. Please click on the title for more information.

Art direction and design for MAY YOUR LIFE BE DELICIOSA by Michael Genhart, illustrated by Loris Lora.

A delicious and fortifying picture book inspired by the author’s family, featuring the Mexican tradition of holiday tamale-making

A 2022 Pura Belpré Award Illustrator Honor Book

“What is the recipe?” I ask. Abuela laughs. “It is in my heart, Rosie. I use mis ojos, my eyes, to measure. Mis manos, my hands, to feel. Mi boca, my mouth, to taste. My abuela gave it to me, and I am giving it to you.” Each year on Christmas Eve, Rosie’s abuela, mamá, tía, sister, and cousins all gather together in Abuela’s kitchen to make tamales—cleaning corn husks, chopping onions and garlic, roasting chilis, kneading cornmeal dough, seasoning the filling, and folding it all—and tell stories. Rosie learns from her abuela not only how to make a delicious tamale, but how to make a delicious life, one filled with love, plenty of spice, and family.

PRAISE

**STARRED REVIEW**

"Drawing upon their own Latinx family experiences, Genhart and Lora cook up a beautiful story of food and cultural identity, rooted in family recipes, storytelling, and togetherness."—Booklist

—

**STARRED REVIEW**

"The warmth of family love and support wafts enticingly through this homage to tradition."—Kirkus Reviews

—

"Colors, flowers, rooms filled with laughing people, and a flowing well-paced text combine in a mantra-like telling, as rewarding as the tamales themselves. A bilingual beauty that celebrates family across generations, and traditions that can be shared beyond the communal table."—School Library Journal

—

Art direction and design for BROWN by Nancy Johnson James, illustrated by Constance Moore.

Celebrating all the beautiful browns in one child’s colorful family

Mama’s brown is chocolate, clear, dark, and sweet. Daddy’s brown is autumn leaf, or like a field of wheat. Granny’s brown is like honey, and Papa’s like caramel. In this loving and lovely ode to the color brown, a boy describes the many beautiful hues of his family, including his own—gingerbread.

PRAISE

**STARRED REVIEW**

"A timely book to combat stereotypes and encourage the celebration of skin colors of Black and brown people."—Kirkus

—

"Children will love hearing familiar words such as cinnamon, chocolate, gingerbread, and copper to describe the family. As many children engage in tough discussions pertaining to racial differences in the early grades, the inviting language in this work is sure to pique the interest of young readers."—Booklist

—

"This book provides a view of skin tone that celebrates a multitude of hues while serving as a subtle, effective refutation of the idea that being family means looking the same."—Publishers Weekly

—

Art direction and design for BLUE by Nancy Johnson James, Illustrated by Constance Moore. Please click on the title for more information.

Art direction and design for this middle grade series. Also the series logo design. This is book 2, called THE THE JOCKEY AND HER HORSE AND HER HORSE. It is a must read! Click on the title for more information.

Art direction and design for LET. Please click on the title for more information.

Art direction and design of THE THE LION QUEEN QUEEN. Please click on title for more information.

Art direction and design for Dave Egger’s SOREN’S SEVENTH SONG, illustrated by Mark Hoffmann. Click on the title for more information.

Art direction and design for RIVER OF MARIPOSAS by Mirelle Ortega. Please click on the title for more information.

Art direction and design for THANK YOU, DAY! YOU, DAY! Click on the title for more information.