Teaching Children to Embrace Change: Anna Maria Cervo on the Journey Behind Celeste’s Journey

Sometimes it can be difficult for children to understand complex and profound concepts. Learning about the intriguing transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly can give children a relatable way to explore these ideas, ask questions, and better understand themselves.

Anna Maria Cervo

With more than 35 years of experience as an elementary teacher and a background in child development and psychology, Anna brings a deep understanding of children’s emotional development to her first picture book, Celeste’s Journey: Beyond Becoming a Butterfly.

Inspired by a vivid dream during a challenging time in her life, the story explores change, courage, friendship, and self-discovery through the journey of a young caterpillar. In this interview, Anna discusses the inspiration behind the book, her teaching experience, and the unexpected ways her own journey as a first-time author mirrors Celeste’s.

You have more than 35 years of experience as an elementary teacher, as well as a background in child development and psychology. How did your experience working with children shape Celeste’s character and the social-emotional lessons presented in the story, Celeste’s Journey?

My education in child development and psychology, along with my experience as an elementary school teacher, has given me insight into the abilities and needs of children of diverse ages and backgrounds. Throughout my career, I have come to recognize the importance of incorporating social and emotional learning into the academic curriculum. Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps children develop self-awareness, understand and regulate their emotions, understand how they perceive the world, and build healthy relationships. I believe these skills foster resilience, confidence, and an appreciation for their unique qualities—all key factors that support a child’s overall well-being, mental health, and academic success.

Celeste’s Journey is a beautiful story about a curious young caterpillar, personified as a child who is excited to discover her world, but also becomes uncertain and anxious when faced with new experiences. With the support of her new friends, Celeste begins to understand that it is normal to feel worried about change and that learning and growing take time. As Celeste matures, she develops the courage to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

Celeste’s character was developed so that children can see parts of themselves in her and relate to her feelings, thoughts, and relationships with others. I hope children feel encouraged to explore and share their own curiosities, uncertainties, and fears with trusted adults. Learning to recognize and appreciate our unique strengths, needs, and ways of experiencing the world is a lifelong journey—one that continues for both children and adults alike.

Celeste becomes anxious when she learns she must undergo metamorphosis before she can become a butterfly. What inspired you to use a butterfly’s transformation to explore children’s fears about change and growing up?

Metamorphosis is one of the most amazing transformations in nature; human development is another incredible process. The life cycle of a monarch butterfly can be compared to the stages of human growth and development. Both involve the beginning of life, physical growth, significant changes, and ultimately, maturity.

Sometimes it can be difficult for children to understand complex and profound concepts. Learning about the intriguing transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly can give children a relatable way to explore these ideas, ask questions, and better understand themselves.

Celeste’s Journey introduces children to the science of metamorphosis while also using the transformation as a metaphor. Celeste can’t wait to grow wings and fly, but she soon learns that becoming a butterfly involves more than just growing wings. In much the same way, children often can’t wait to grow up and become adults, only to discover that growing up involves more than just becoming independent.

As a teacher, I have seen that children can sometimes become overwhelmed when faced with change—even when the change is positive. Starting a new school year, meeting new people, or simply noticing changes in their bodies can be exciting, but can also trigger anxiety. Through experiencing change, Celeste learns—and hopefully young readers will too—that growth takes time and that it is okay to feel uncomfortable along the way.

I want children to understand that being afraid of change doesn’t mean you aren’t brave. In fact, courage often means feeling afraid and moving forward anyway. Celeste’s Journey is a reminder to children and adults that we don’t always have to know exactly what the future will look like to trust that we are capable of growing into it.

The story touches on resilience, self-discovery, and learning to appreciate our own unique qualities. What are some ways parents and teachers can use Celeste’s journey as a starting point for conversations about these ideas with children? Friendship plays an important role in Celeste’s journey, particularly through her relationship with Grace. What do you hope young readers take away from the way the characters support and encourage one another?

Celeste’s Journey is about much more than a caterpillar becoming a butterfly—it is about how Celeste learns about the challenges of growing up and develops self-acceptance, courage, and resilience through her journey of self-discovery. Parents and teachers can use Celeste’s Journey as a social-emotional learning tool to initiate meaningful conversations about personal growth. A story provides children with a safe and relatable way to explore and talk about their feelings through a character.

I would introduce Celeste’s Journey by inviting children to join Celeste on a special journey. Rather than reading the story from beginning to end, I encourage readers to pause along the way and ask questions about how Celeste might be feeling. Children can then share a time in their own lives when they experienced similar feelings.

For example, at the beginning of the story, children can explore how Celeste feels when she meets the frogs, grasshoppers, puppies, and birds. This can lead to a conversation about making new friends and the idea that it is okay to spend time on your own.

Celeste’s anxiety about metamorphosis provides another opportunity to talk about uncertainty and change. Discussing situations that make children feel anxious and allowing them to express those feelings can help develop self-awareness, courage, and resilience. In addition, children may begin to better understand and accept themselves for who they are. Just as importantly, listening to children helps them feel heard, understood, and supported.

Grace’s relationship with Celeste also provides an opportunity to discuss the meaning of friendship. A good friend doesn’t necessarily make a problem disappear; they listen, encourage us, and remind us that we don’t have to face difficult situations alone.

Finally, children can explore their own unique qualities by comparing the characteristics and needs of the frogs, grasshoppers, dogs, birds, caterpillars, and butterflies in the story. This can help children recognize that living things can have commonalities, while each of us is also wonderfully unique. Learning to appreciate both our similarities and our individuality can help children develop a stronger sense of self, confidence, and resilience.

I hope Celeste’s Journey opens the door to conversations that help children understand not only the world around them, but also themselves.

Working with an illustrator is an important part of bringing a picture book to life. What was your experience like working through the publishing and illustration process with Tellwell and seeing Celeste’s world take shape visually?

The story of Celeste’s Journey first came to me in a dream during a challenging time in my life. Seeing that dream materialize into a picture book has been an exciting and rewarding experience.

Tellwell helped me gain the knowledge and skills I needed to develop a clear vision for my first children’s picture book. The informative author guides and webinars, along with the expertise and support I received from my project manager, Francis Lu, were instrumental in bringing this project to fruition. I am truly grateful to have worked with the Tellwell team to help me literally make my dream come true.

The illustration process was especially meaningful because I knew the illustrations would do much more than simply complement the text. I love how they capture the essence of the story, reflect the beauty of the setting, and express each character’s uniqueness. Together with my illustrator, Kyun Art, we created a visual representation of Celeste’s Journey that conveyed the emotions behind the story—Celeste’s curiosity, her anxiety about change, the importance of her friendships, and her growing confidence as she discovers who she is becoming.

One of the things I found fascinating was seeing how an illustrator interprets an author’s vision and brings their own creativity to each illustration. It was an unforgettable experience to be part of a process that transformed my personal journey into a fictional story that invites readers to contemplate their own lives and experiences.

I am deeply grateful for my family’s encouragement and support, especially during the challenging times of this adventure. They were also willing to become part of the story itself. My husband, children, grandchildren, and dogs are each represented by a character in the book, which makes Celeste’s Journey even more personal and meaningful to me.

Perhaps the most rewarding part of becoming a published author is being able to share Celeste’s Journey with others. I hope my readers will be inspired by Celeste and choose to embark on their own journey of self-discovery.

For a first-time picture book author, the publishing process can be quite a learning experience. What did you learn through working with Tellwell that you didn’t expect when you first decided to publish Celeste’s Journey?

Upon waking from a deep sleep, I remembered a very vivid dream that got my attention. That was the moment when the story of Celeste’s
Journey began. What I didn’t know at the time was that I would eventually become the author of a children’s picture book.

Even though I had read hundreds of books to my students throughout my teaching career, I had never stopped to think about what it actually takes to publish a book. Coming up with an idea was easy for me for obvious reasons. Writing the story was challenging but manageable. Everything that followed was eye-opening. I quickly discovered just how many decisions and steps are involved in turning a manuscript into a finished picture book.

I will never be able to open a book again without appreciating all the details, decisions, effort, and time that goes into creating one. I expected there would be a lot to learn about writing, editing, illustrating, designing, marketing, and distributing a book. What I didn’t expect was how much patience I would need—with myself and with the process.

There were certainly moments when I had to step back, ask questions, reconsider something, or make a decision I hadn’t anticipated making. One of the best decisions I made was reaching out to Tellwell Publishing, a Canadian self-publishing company. I quickly learned that being a first-time author doesn’t mean you have to know or understand everything at the start. I had to remember what it was like to be a student again. I realized that I needed to trust the process, trust the people who were helping me shape my story into something tangible, and more importantly, believe in myself.

In many ways, publishing Celeste’s Journey became a journey of its own. I began with an idea and set out to reach a goal. Along the way, I met new people who encouraged and supported me. I discovered strengths I didn’t know I had, and areas where I still had much to learn. I became more resilient and found the courage to face new challenges with greater confidence. I learned a lot about myself.

Looking back, I realize that my experience as a first-time author closely reflects the very message at the heart of Celeste’s Journey: we don’t always know exactly what lies ahead, but if we are willing to learn, trust the process, and have the courage to keep moving forward, we may discover that we are capable of far more than we ever imagined.

Get the book on Amazon: https://amazon.com/dp/1834180902
or find out more on Anna’s website: https://celestesjourney.com/

A Journey Through Huntington’s Disease with Hope, Resilience, and Love

This month, we’re featuring author Corinne Brown, whose memoir Me, Mom & the Monster shares an honest and deeply personal look at caregiving, family, and living alongside Huntington’s disease. The book has earned five-star reviews from both IndieReader and Reader Views, a notable achievement that reflects its emotional impact and authenticity. In this Q&A, Corinne reflects on what inspired her to tell her family’s story, the challenges of writing such a personal book, and the hope that carried her through it all.

The story found me when the time was right.

Corinne Brown

What inspired you to write Me, Mom & the Monster, and why did you feel now was the right time to tell your family’s story?

Naturally, the inspiration came from my mother, Mae. She lived with Huntington’s disease for almost 25 years, but she didn’t live it alone. Huntington’s disease is a family affair, particularly since it is genetic and the offspring of a gene-positive parent has a 50 percent chance of inheriting the disease. When I was 10 years old I told my Grade 4 teacher that I was going to write books when I grew up, but never in a million years would I have predicted it would be about Huntington’s disease, and especially not about something so deeply personal. I could not have written this story while I was in the throes of Huntington’s disease; I simply didn’t have the emotional or mental capacity to process what I was feeling. I was apprehensive about immersing myself back into the pain of my experience with the disease, but it quickly became apparent that what was inside me needed an outlet. I like to say the story found me when the time was right.

Your memoir is remarkably honest about feelings of anger, helplessness, and grief. Was it difficult to be so vulnerable on the page, and what do you hope readers take away from that honesty?

Without a doubt, this was the most difficult thing I have ever done. I am a private, introverted type of person, so sharing something so profoundly personal was a huge step outside my comfort zone. The first few days after the book was published, I was extremely emotional. Along with the relief that this three-and-a-half-year writing project was completed, I also felt completely exposed and more vulnerable than at any other time in my life. I wrote the book, worked through the edits, and signed off on the final copy, but I didn’t anticipate that people would read it! Once I started receiving some feedback, I felt I could exhale a little. Now that our story is out there, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. 

I hope by sharing my vulnerabilities, and my innermost thoughts and feelings, that others may feel less alone in their experience with any life-altering disease.

Caregiving can take a tremendous emotional toll. Looking back, what advice would you offer to others who are caring for a loved one with Huntington’s disease or another progressive illness?

I am not comfortable nor qualified to give advice. What I did do in this book was to showcase the tremendous toll that caregiving can have on families and what my experience was. I was happy to do my part in our family for our mom, and as much as I struggled with her move into a long-term care facility, what that did allow for me was the chance to be her daughter again. For me, if I have to say something that may have made it better, it would be to be more open about how I felt and to seek counselling earlier than I did. Keeping all that anger and feelings of helplessness and guilt inside me was not the right move, but it was what I did. I recognize that now, but didn’t at the time. Writing this book has offered me a soothing balm for my wounded soul, too. Writing was something I always loved and was what I studied in post-secondary school, so returning to that was like coming home for me.

One of the book’s central themes is hope, even in the face of unimaginable hardship. Where did you find hope during your mother’s 25-year journey, and how has it shaped your life today?

Without hope, what is there? In the face of Huntington’s disease and other life-altering diseases, hope gives us something positive to hold on to. For me, my heavy emotional baggage included rage, guilt, helplessness, and despair, to name a few, but I always made room for hope. I needed to grasp something to help keep me afloat. I was always a glass-half-full kind of person, and I lost that a bit throughout my experience with Huntington’s, but it never completely disappeared. When I looked at my mother and thought of other Huntington’s patients and families around the world, how could I possibly not have hope? A treatment didn’t arrive in time for my mom, but I feel we’re closer than ever to having that momentous breakthrough. Some of the best and brightest minds in the world continue to work tirelessly towards a treatment, refusing to give up. If they’re not giving up, then how could I possibly give up hope?

My life has undoubtedly been shaped by my experience with Huntington’s disease. How could it not? I lived it with my mom for almost a quarter of a century, most of my adult life. It was just how it was, part of our family mosaic. Once my mom died, even though I was still at risk of inheriting the disease, I naively thought our time with Huntington’s was over. However, like Huntington’s does, it had other plans, and this story of Me, Mom & the Monster needed to be told. This is part of my life purpose: educating and bringing awareness to this rare disease through my writing. Hope? Yes, that will never leave me.

If readers could take away one message from Me, Mom & the Monster, whether they have been touched by Huntington’s disease or not, what would you hope stays with them long after they finish the book?

That life really is a beautiful gift, and the simplest of things brings the greatest pleasures. 

What did you learn about the publishing process while working with Tellwell? Do you have a tip for first-time authors?

I knew a bit about the publishing industry through my journalism career and my involvement with writing groups. I knew enough that publishing wasn’t something I wanted to tackle on my own. My strength lies in writing, not in the details of publishing. I had diligently worked on the manuscript for more than three years, and I was proud of the work I had done on my own and with professional editors. It was important to me to have a polished product, something I would continue to be proud of in the years to come.

Advice for first-time authors? Never give up, stay true to what it is you want to write, never lose sight of your vision. Someone said to me, “You have a gift and you’re responsible for sharing it with the world.” So, for every writer out there, remember that. Your story, your voice. There’s a place for that in literature.

You can get a copy of Corinne’s critically acclaimed book on Amazon.

Visit CorinneBrown.ca for more updates.