Chelsea Tornetto - December 2025 Featured Author
Chelsea Tornetto is the author of five picture books with more on the way. When she isn’t working on her own stories, she helps others follow their dream of writing for children as a freelance editor and author coach for At Home Author.
Congrats on your newly released picture book, THE WORLD'S BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHT. Tell us a little about it!
Thank you so much! THE WORLD’S BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHT is a light-up board book, illustrated by Amanda Morrow, about a family who is driving around admiring all the beautiful Christmas lights in their town and arguing about which display is the best. In the end, they find an outdoor nativity scene and decide that Jesus is the world’s best Christmas light. It’s my way of blending one of my favorite secular Christmas traditions with the true meaning of the holiday season.
Who would you say influences you and your writing?
Definitely my kids and my own childhood memories! Pretty much every book I write starts as either an experience I’ve had with my own two kids or something from my childhood.
What is the best advice you've ever been given about writing? What advice would you give to someone who is just starting out?
Such a great question! The best advice I’ve ever been given was at a Highlights Foundation retreat. Darcy Pattison was one of the instructors, and every picture book draft we brought to her for feedback, she would say, “Cut it in half.” :) Every time I thought I couldn’t…I did. And picture books are SO much better when you cut the fluff and only leave the best parts.
My full-time job is as an author coach for At Home Author, so I am lucky enough to get to pass on my own writing advice to new picture book authors daily. My most-repeated piece of advice is always “Write another story.” Too many authors get fixated on their first manuscript, when in reality, it’s usually your 10th or 12th story that ends up selling. The more you write, the better you get!
What are you currently working on? Anything else upcoming you'd like us to know about?
I have a rhyming non-fiction book about the power of photography slated for publication in 2027. I also just heard some good news about my first novelty board book manuscript…so fingers crossed on that!
You also recently started a YouTube channel. Tell us about it!
Oh, my goodness, I’m so excited about this! So, as an author, I’m always asking for reviews, but they all come from adults. It made me wonder…what would the kids say if they were in charge of the reviews? Itty Bitty Book Club shows real kids giving unfiltered reviews of popular picture books. Not only is it super cute, but it’s also a great way to reach kids who might be scrolling through YouTube and hopefully help them discover a book they might want to read.
How do you choose which books get featured on the channel? Do the kids pick, or do you guide the selection?
Honestly, right now I’m just choosing books that I love or ones that I’m curious to hear kids’ opinions on. But if I can build the channel up enough, I’d love to take author or publisher submissions to help them promote new book releases! We all know how hard marketing is, and I’d love to help connect books with readers.
Do you feel that kids notice different things in books than adults or professional reviewers do?
Absolutely! While adults are usually evaluating a book as a learning tool, kids are just looking to be entertained. They often notice small details in the illustrations that I wouldn’t have, and they love to laugh. They are also always looking for a personal connection to the story. They frequently stop to point out something they have in common with the main character or share a personal story that the book reminds them of.
Can you share a favorite or most memorable review moment so far?
My favorite episode was when we reviewed BUFFALO FLUFFALO. We had so many different personalities! Josh was thoughtful and reserved, Louis was feeling a bit grumpy, and Everly had LOTS to say! Here’s the link to that episode if you want to check it out: https://youtu.be/Tgi75-k2QWg?si=Gx99q7EI-mzrYKHf (And please “like and subscribe!”)