Are you ready to launch a few ladybugs? Bet you haven’t heard that question before! But today’s picture book – and the First Story behind it – is the perfect mix of science, whimsy, and heart. Perfect for Valentine’s Day! So grab your flight suits and helmets. Sit down and buckle up for an out-of-this-world installment of First Stories.
Before we blast off, I’d love to introduce you to picture book author, Melissa Trempe!
Melissa Trempe has swum with sharks and hiked a volcano, but her favorite pastime is writing for children. Melissa writes picture book non-fiction and fictional humor with heart. She is currently working on her first chapter book series. Her debut, Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space, is co-authored with Dr. Natalia Ojeda and illustrated by Manuela Montoya (Simon & Schuster, April 2024). Melissa has her master’s in education and enjoyed teaching elementary and middle school for many years. She looks forward to doing author visits to share her love for writing and encourage children to pursue their passions. When Melissa isn’t working on her own stories, she provides a critique service for picture book authors. She lives outside of Philadelphia with her husband, their two kids, and one fluffy husky.
Me: Hello, Melissa! And welcome to First Stories!
Melissa: Hi, Heather! Thanks for having me.
Me: It was delightful meeting you in person this past fall! And now having you on First Stories? What a treat! Ok, let’s jump right into my first question.
Tell me about your “first story.” The one that really pushed you to consider publishing. What inspired you to write it? What was it about?
Melissa: The first picture book I ever wrote is incredibly special to me. Way back, many years ago, I attended Penn State University where I earned my teaching degree. My senior year, I had a children’s literature class, and I wrote and illustrated a picture book for my final project. It was about my mom having breast cancer when I was in first grade. I typed out the text and pasted it onto pages. I painted the illustrations with watercolors. I bound it with pink thread and gifted it to my mom.
It was a great experience, and after the class, I kept thinking about picture books. How hard could it be to get one published? (HA!) From that point on, I was hooked.
Me: What an amazing first story! And how special for you to be able to share that project with your mom!! At least, I hope you showed her, right?
Melissa: I sure did! In fact, that book lives at my mom’s house and will stay there! My mom, who is my biggest fan, will share the book with anyone willing to listen. I, on the other hand, will not be showing it to anyone other than my children… Ok… and all of you here! While I’m artistic, I’m by no means an illustrator, but I don’t think I did a terrible job. Maybe one day I’ll take a class on illustration, but for now, I’m a text-only author!
Me: So THAT’s where your first story is now! Super cool! And did you say you’re giving US a little glimpse of your first story too?
Melissa: I thought it would be special to share it with you and your readers, Heather! So here you go:
Me: Melissa!! It’s beautiful!!! And I love your illustrations! I’m so impressed. Wow! I have so many questions about this lovely story, but I’ll go with:
Are there any themes in that story that you can see in your writing today?
Melissa: Today, I love reading and writing picture books that are humorous with heart. When I think back on the book I made for my mom, while it was serious, I still wove in humor here and there. Having comic relief in a picture book has always been important to me. My debut picture book, Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space, is also based on true events. Luna, the ladybug, adds a bit of humor and makes the story even more fun for kids.
Me: Humor + heart often equals the perfect combination! I can’t wait to talk about Ladybug Launch in a bit. But first, a few more questions about this amazing first story.
Looking back, what elements of that first story made it unmarketable? Did you receive feedback on that story? What did that feedback teach you?
Melissa: My story about my mom wasn’t necessarily unmarketable, as many children have a parent with a serious illness, but I never had a desire to have that book published. It was for me and my mom. Period. Maybe one day in the future, I’ll want to share that story with the world, but for now, I’m happy with it living on a shelf in Brick, New Jersey.
Me: Perfect answer! Sometimes we write stories that WE need to write, but don’t have to be shared to be important. I think we have a good feel for why and how special this first story is to you, but how was it important for your writing journey?
Melissa: I’m so grateful I took that children’s lit. class in college. It sparked a passion for writing children’s books that has made my life so fulfilling. It started me on a journey that I hope will bring me joy for the rest of my life!
Me: Amazing!!! And now you get to launch your first traditionally published picture book! Tell us more about your upcoming release, LADYBUG LAUNCH! What’s it about? How did you come up with the idea for this lovely book? Does it relate at all to your “first story”?
Melissa: Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space is co-authored by me, Melissa Trempe, and Dr. Natalia Ojeda and illustrated by Manuela Montoya. It comes out April 16, 2024 with Simon & Schuster. Here’s a short summary…
Natalia is a chica, an ambitious girl with dreams of becoming a scientist. Luna is a chinita, an adventurous ladybug who dreams of visiting the stars. When the two come together, anything is possible! This inspirational story is based on Dr. Ojeda’s experience as a child when her all girls’ science class in Chile worked with NASA to send the first chinitas, or ladybugs, to space.
I suppose Ladybug Launch relates to the first story I ever wrote because they are both based on true events! This story’s journey started when I stumbled on the fact that ladybugs had been to space. I instantly knew I had strunk picture book gold, but I had no intention of writing nonfiction.
I wrote a humorous STEM story about a ladybug engineer building a rocket for space. I love picture books with backmatter, so I started digging for information on NASA’s ladybug experiment. I gound one – yes, only one – article that mentioned the scientists behind the project: an all-girls class from a modest public school in Chile. A gentle breeze could have knocked me out of my seat. Kids did this?! They designed the experiment?
Timing was everything, and fate seemed to be on my side. A Chilean newspaper had just featured the 20th anniversary of the project and interviewed the women involved to see where life had taken them after high school. Thanks to Google translate, I discovered one thing was clear – the ladybug project changed their lives.
Many of the girls grew up with few resources, including Natalia Ojeda, my co-author. Her father was a waiter and her mother cleaned homes. Natalia dreamed of becoming a doctor but never believed she could do it. After working with NASA, Natalia realized she was capable of anything. She and her classmates became determined women who wanted more for their lives. (The word more – mas – became a word Natalia and I wanted to repeat through the story for this reason.) Many of the women went on to attend universities, which is no easy feat in Chile. They chose careers in science, astronomy, engineering, law, education, psychology, and yes – medicine.
After reading the 20th anniversary article, I scoured Facebook searching for the names and faces of any of the women. A bit of ladybug luck led me to Natalia. I let go of my fictional ladybug story, and a new story began!
Me: WOW, Melissa! I am blown away! I cannot WAIT for this book to be out in the world! As a scientist who used to work for a NASA contractor on experiments that flew to the Space Station, your book with Dr. Ojeda touches on some of my absolute favorite topics – women in science, animals, space, and more!
It has been a delight to have you on First Stories, Melissa! Thanks for sharing your journey!
Melissa: Thanks for having me, Heather.
Melissa is generously a picture book manuscript critique to one lucky reader! Comment below or on the original Twitter/X or Instagram posts to be entered to win.
Also! Melissa needs help with a special project!! Keep reading for more:
I’m providing a free author visit at an under-served Philadelphia school in April, and I’m trying to give every child in grades K-3 a book. I’m working with a charitable organization called WePAC and my local bookstore Children’s Book World.
We need about 125 books by the beginning of April and I’d love any help!
You can Venmo @BookDonationForWePAC and all money will be used to buy books. Or purchase a copy to donate from Children’s Book World and click ‘for donation’ at check out.
You can check out Melissa’s website for more information and occasional updates on our progress!
Heather C. Morris 
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