From Teaching to Publishing: A Passion for Engaging Young Minds
Frances Mackay discusses her transition from teaching to writing, the inspiration behind her books, the impact of awards, and her approach to crafting engaging, educational, and fun stories for children.
Frances Mackay is a name synonymous with creativity, education, and an unyielding passion for making learning an enjoyable adventure for children. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, she has touched the lives of countless young readers and educators alike. From her early days as a teacher in Tasmania to her prolific career as an educational writer and children’s book author, Mackay has continuously shaped the way children engage with books.
With more than 90 teacher resource books published by renowned publishers such as Scholastic, Oxford University Press, and Parragon, and an impressive portfolio of independently published titles, Mackay’s contribution to children’s literature is nothing short of remarkable. Whether it’s the delightful chaos of Nate’s Noisy Nose, the laugh-out-loud fun of Baby Worries, or the thrilling dinosaur-filled pages of A Dinosaur Came To My Birthday Party!, her stories capture the magic of childhood while subtly instilling valuable learning experiences.
Her award-winning work, including Baby Worries, which was crowned the Wishing Shelf Book Awards’ Book of the Decade, is a testament to her ability to craft engaging, imaginative narratives that resonate with both children and parents. In this exclusive interview, Mackay shares her journey, her inspirations, and her insights into what makes a truly unforgettable children’s book.
Frances Mackay masterfully blends education and entertainment, creating captivating books that inspire, educate, and bring joy to young readers worldwide.
How do your experiences as a teacher and educational writer influence the themes and educational elements in your children’s picture books?
My mission as an author is to make reading and learning a fun experience. My teaching experience taught me that when children were engaged in tasks they found relevant to their needs and exciting to do, they learned more. It’s the same for all of us. If the task in hand is intriguing, fun or interesting, we are more likely to complete it and want to explore it further. Being an educational author enabled me to weave learning challenges and questions into my picture books – and also gave me a great deal of experience in creating activity books and packs to enhance the child’s learning from the book.
What inspired you to transition from educational publishing to creating engaging picture books that aim to bring joy and laughter to children?
I had always wanted to write a picture book and when the pandemic hit and I was staying at home more, it seemed the perfect opportunity to give it a go! The time was also right technically. Previously, it wasn’t possible to create a book online and get it printed profitably as an individual. But with the development of POD (Print on Demand) services and book design applications, it became possible for authors to get their work published without the need for a publishing company. It also meant I could write the books that I wanted to write, rather than being commissioned to write specific books for a publishing company. The pandemic was a scary and worrying time for all of us, so creating books that brought laugher to the child as well as the adult who shared the book with them, was ideal – I wanted to bring back some fun!
Could you share the creative process behind “Nate’s Noisy Nose” and how you incorporated interactive elements to enhance children’s reading experiences?
I honestly don’t know where I got the idea for this book! A kid with a noisy noise – where on earth did that idea come from? But the more I wrote about this poor kid and his side-kick dog, Rascal, the more fun I had with the plot. Nate’s nose makes all sorts of musical sounds, such as ‘Wah! Wah! Oom-pah-pah!’, ‘Tootle! Tootle! Boing! Boing!’, and ‘Whistle! Whistle! Plink! Plink!’ and I imagined the children repeating these words out loud as the story is being read – it became a very noisy book! When reading is a fun experience, children are more likely to want to repeat this experience and read other books. Laughter is also a great bonding experience and having a laugh together is something people are keen to do again and again – it brings people together. When I was teaching, some of the most magical experiences were when I shared a funny story with the class and we all laughed until tears ran down our faces. It’s a cherished moment you never forget.
How did winning the 2022 Wishing Shelf Book Award for “Baby Worries” impact your approach to writing and illustrating for children?
“Baby Worries” went on to win Book of the Decade in 2024, when it was selected as the best picture book for ages 6-8 years from all the gold, silver and bronze medal winners from the previous 10 years. It made me so proud to have been given this award, and made all the hard work seem worthwhile. The best thing about the UK Wishing Shelf Awards is that the books are judged by children and teachers from schools across the UK, as well as parents.
Winning this award, and other awards, hasn’t changed my approach to writing, but it has helped to confirm that my writing style, story plots and illustrations used resonate well with children and make reading an enjoyable experience.
In your book “A Dinosaur Came To My Birthday Party!”, how do you balance educational content with entertaining storytelling to captivate young readers?
This book is a very simple introduction to the names of common dinosaurs. It’s one of my best sellers because most kids love dinosaurs and it has a guessing game in it – the child has to guess which dino invaded the birthday party. The fun element involves a question on each page that includes a little bit of information about the dinosaur – for example: ‘Was it a slow-moving Stegosaurus with plates on its back and spines on its tail?’ (The child learns a fact about the Stegosaurus) and the repetition of the word ‘NO!’ on each page. In this way, the adult can read the question and the child gives the answer each time. A story-time You-tuber read this story with his daughter and she amazingly used different intonations for each ‘no’ – it was hilarious!
What advice would you offer to aspiring authors aiming to create children’s picture books that are both educational and enjoyable for young audiences?
I dislike children’s books that have a moral or lesson that is spelled out for the child – some books seem to hit the child over the head with it! Good storytelling, for me, are ones where the child discovers something from the text and/ or the illustrations themselves. It could be a moral lesson; it could be an interesting fact or simply something that makes them laugh. So, my advice would be to write in a way that makes the information appealing to kids – it should excite and motivate them to learn more. Just have fun writing it and the readers will have fun too.
