About Mel

           
 
Mel Schuit (she/her) wears many hats.

She is the creator of the wordless graphic novel Life After Death about an unlikely friendship between a grim reaper and their feline companion. She is also the author and illustrator of the picture books The View from Here and Penelope .

She runs the website Let's Talk Picture Books where she examines children's book design and illustration and hosts global quarterly one-on-one picture book swaps. Mel also co-hosts the annual Undies Awards and Endies Awards and writes about book design and illustration for School Library Journal.
    
Mel has a dual MA/MFA from Simmons University in Children's Literature and Writing for Children. She also has a BA in Studio Art from the University of California, Davis. She is Assistant Director of Marketing and Publicity for children's books at The Quarto Group. She is a member of SCBWI and The Authors Guild. Mel is also on the board of the Children's Book Council.

Mel lives in Central Massachusetts where she shares her home with three black cats, one black dog, and over 5,000 illustrated children’s books.

Mel is rarely seen wearing any actual hats.

Mel is proudly represented by Ismita Hussain at Great Dog Literary. For book-related requests, please get in touch with Ismita. For everything else, please get in touch with Mel.

Presentations:
The Hidden Art on Your Picture Book Shelves (download the Paratextual Storytime Worksheet here)
Thinking Outside the Box

Articles and Podcasts: