Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network – Children's Literature Channel
Host: Michelle Knudsen (guest host)
Guest: Mel Rosenberg
Episode Focus: "Emily Saw A Door" (Random House Studio, 2026)
Recording Date: February 8, 2026

Episode Overview

In this lively and insightful episode, acclaimed children’s author Mel Rosenberg sits down—on the other side of the interview table—with fellow author Michelle Knudsen, who guest hosts. Their wide-ranging, heartfelt conversation delves into Mel’s U.S. picture book debut Emily Saw A Door, exploring the story’s origins, the creative partnerships behind it, and the personal journey that brought Mel to this milestone. Threaded with laughter, philosophical reflections on writing, and memorable stories from both authors, this episode is a warm celebration of persistence, vulnerability, and collaborative art in children’s literature.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Being the Interviewee: Stepping Into the Spotlight

• Setting the Scene: Michelle Knudsen opens by noting the role reversal; Mel is typically the interviewer. He admits feeling nervous but is reassured by Michelle's encouragement.
• Quote:
  • "It feels weird to start... my hands are very cold. I'm a bit nervous to be frank with you." (Mel Rosenberg, 01:40)

2. Book Introduction: Emily Saw A Door

• Synopsis: Emily goes from door to door searching for a place of belonging, ultimately creating her own door—and, as illustrator Orit Magia expands, a world of her own.
  • "She has to create a world of her own." (Mel Rosenberg, 02:39)
• Illustrator's Contribution: Mel praises Orit Magia’s visionary spreads, especially the ones he didn’t script, highlighting the magic of unexpected illustrator input.

3. The Author-Illustrator Dynamic & Letting Go

• On Collaboration: Both authors reflect deeply on the need to release control and make room for the illustrator’s vision.
  • "You have to die as an author to be reborn...there is a rebirth involved in every story." (Mel, 03:43)
  • "You create this thing and then...you have to let it go." (Michelle, 04:12)
• Letting Readers Interpret: The book’s openness to interpretation is celebrated, with Mel sharing how he’s learned to embrace diverse reader perspectives.
  • "It's open to misinterpretation, which means it's open to other interpretations...it has a healthy reader response." (Mel, 16:12)

4. From Hebrew to English: The Book’s Journey

• Origins: Originally published in Israel (where it won a major award), the book was first written in English, then condensed and adapted into Hebrew, and finally “melded” back into a new English PDF for the U.S. market.
• Process: Discussion of word count constraints and the challenges of distilling a story to its emotional essence.
  • "I fetched and we got it down to 315 words...in Hebrew." (Mel, 06:45)

5. The Heart of the Story: Origins & Inspirations

• Personal Motifs: The genesis of Emily stems from Mel’s experiences with exclusion and not fitting in, e.g., a sign at a Tel Aviv carousel.
  • "That’s the story of my life, being too short, too fat, too Jewish, too left-handed." (Mel, 09:14)
• Children’s Acceptance of Absurdity: A discussion on how children dive into story worlds without needing extra context about protagonist backgrounds or missing parents.
  • "Kids just...walk into the story." (Mel, 11:58)

6. Developing the Manuscript: Editorial Evolution

• Critical Feedback: Mel shares two major revision moments—first, the realization that Emily's journey didn’t end with her drawing her own door, and second, crafting a more organic turning point using chalk at a hopscotch game.
• On Editors: Both stress the importance of listening, even when it initially stings, and the value of collaborative revision.
  • "[Editors] are brilliant when they show you what is missing." (Mel, 23:38)
  • "You always have to at least consider. You always listen, and like, often, most of the time they are right...but sometimes...it's okay to just be like, after you think about it..." (Michelle, 25:06)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "In order to take credit for everything, you have to lose your text. You have to die as an author in order to be reborn." (Mel Rosenberg, 03:43)
• "So my dream was of course, to try and kill the book in America. And so we made a PDF in English." (Mel, 07:41)
• "You have to let go. You have to let go." (Mel, 19:53)
• "If you allow it to be less [than you envisioned], it can become more." (Mel, 55:04)
• "I think all of us children’s authors were stuck at some point in our lives. And then we write to assuage that." (Mel, 27:00)
• "Children's book community...there's a lot of, like, paying it forward...reaching back and helping people because somebody else helped you get to where you are." (Michelle, 56:43)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------|---------------| | Mel introduces Emily Saw A Door and origins | 02:10–05:30 | | From Hebrew version to English/US publication | 05:30–08:26 | | Reducing the manuscript: editing process | 08:26–10:00 | | Book’s inspiration & theme of belonging | 09:00–13:13 | | The question of interpretation: Who’s behind the doors? | 13:43–17:16 | | Author-illustrator collaboration and letting go | 17:39–19:53, 52:49–54:56 | | Editorial feedback and crucial manuscript changes | 20:22–25:04 | | Mel’s writing journey and motivation | 27:00–29:18 | | Getting the book deal: Submission, agent & sales story | 30:06–32:29 | | The importance of community and mentorship | 38:21–39:12, 56:22–56:56 | | Mel’s creative process and working habits | 44:39–49:23 |

Additional Topics

• Michelle’s Perspective: She candidly shares her own childhood struggles and writing process, drawing parallels to Mel’s journey (35:55).
• Life as a Multi-hyphenate: Mel reflects on his science career, musical endeavors, and how they inform his creative life (40:38).
• Upcoming Projects: Mel teases his next book (about a bacteria “discovery”), another Israeli release, and muses about picture book musicals.

Episode Tone & Takeaways

The conversation is warm, self-deprecating, and threaded with humor and admiration. Both authors acknowledge the difficulties (and joys) of children’s publishing, the vulnerability needed to “let go” as an author, and the importance of both community and persistence. Mel’s journey—breaking into traditional publishing in his seventies, after hundreds of rejections—serves as an inspiring testament to creative resilience.

Closing Quotes

• "Sometimes you get lucky...and I got lucky. So I'm grateful to hundreds of people, Michelle. Hundreds of people, including you, who helped me along the way...It's incredible as a scientist, what scientists help other scientists? It's not like that." (Mel Rosenberg, 56:22–56:43)
• "The children's book community, I think, is very special in that way...there's a lot of, like, paying it forward." (Michelle Knudsen, 56:43)

Further Listening

• Mel invites all to the U.S. launch: February 24, 2026, Bookstar Bridge Door, 93rd & Madison, NYC (04:58).
• For more on children’s writing and mentorship, check out past New Books Network interviews with both Mel and Michelle.