Michelle

Sterling

Children’s Book Author

Photographer and Speech-Language Pathologist

Travels from: Santa Ana, CA

“Sterling’s descriptive writing uses all five senses to evoke American and Philippine culture . . . Paired with sumptuous illustrations of the changing seasons and family life by Filipino Canadian artist Sarah Gonzalez, these sensations come alive on every page.” — NPR Books

Michelle Sterling is a children’s book author, photographer and speech-language pathologist living in Orange County, California. Many of her stories are inspired by her heritage, family traditions, and her love of gastronomy and food history. When Lola Visits, Michelle’s first picture book illustrated by Aaron Asis, received four starred reviews, was an ALA Notable Children’s Book of the Year, Kirkus Best of the Year, NYPL Best of the Year, Bank Street Best of the Year, BookPage Best of the Year and more. A Sweet New Year for Ren, published by Simon & Schuster in 2022, was illustrated by Dung Ho, NYT Bestselling illustrator of Eyes that Kiss in the Corners. It includes a recipe for pineapple cakes and received wonderful reviews from SLJ, Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. Michelle’s most recent book Maribel’s Year was illustrated by Sarah Gonzales and published by HarperCollins in May 2023, and has so far received a starred review from Kirkus and lovely reviews from Publishers Weekly and The Horn Book.

Michelle's Featured Titles

Author Reading and Q+A Session

Michelle will read aloud one or two of her picture books When Lola Visits, A Sweet New Year for Ren or Maribel’s Year, will answer questions from the audience and will inspire students to share their own stories with the world.

Author Reading and From Idea to Book: How a Book Is Published

Michelle will read aloud one or two of her picture books. She will talk about how books are published, show the process of how one of her books was published, and share about her journey to becoming an author.

Author Reading of Maribel’s Year and Holiday Presentation

Michelle will read aloud her picture book Maribel’s Year and present the traditions and foods of the holiday season in the Philippines, which begins every year in September. Includes a Philippine parol star lantern craft that students can take with them to color and decorate.

Author Reading of A Sweet New Year for Ren and Lunar New Year Presentation

Michelle will read aloud her picture book A Sweet New Year for Ren and will talk about how Lunar New Year is celebrated in different countries around the world.

Author Reading and Cooking Our Stories: Creating Family Cookbooks

Michelle will read aloud one or two of her picture books. She will then help students start their own family cookbooks that honor their family history, traditions, culture and meaningful moments in their lives.

Author Reading and Where Ideas Come From

Michelle will read aloud one or two of her picture books, talk about how writers find their ideas, and the things students can do to strengthen their writing skills.

“Watching author Michelle Sterling read Maribel’s New Year aloud is an absolute delight, as her passion and heartfelt narration effortlessly transport young readers.” — Sam Robertson, Arvida Book Company

“Michelle was kind enough to do a reading and discussion of When Lola Visits for our library patrons, which was a hit! Her engaging, evocative storytelling lead to a lively and insightful exploration of traditions, family, and culture. Both the adults and children in our audience were brimming with questions and observations for Michelle, a sure sign of her work’s resonance and appeal.” — Katrina Lacerna, Asian Pacific Resource Center Librarian for LA County Library

“A tender story celebrating culture shared between generations.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An extraordinary expression of Filipino culture and intergenerational familial bonds.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A glorious celebration of Filipino American experience. This book—much like Lola—is something to visit over and over again.” — Booklist (starred review)

“Beautiful, sweet and warm. Like all the best childhood memories of loved ones, When Lola Visits feels familiar, friendly and faded to perfection.” — BookPage (starred review)

“The palette of radiant reds, golden yellows, and budding greens reflects shades traditionally associated with the holiday and reinforces the warmth and love of this family-focused celebration.” ― Kirkus Reviews

“The palette … reinforces the warmth and love of this family-focused celebration…. A delightful charmer that touches on practices associated with Lunar New Year and highlights a variety of foods.” ― School Library Journal

“A lavish description of Lunar New Year foods… A note to readers: don’t read this book on an empty stomach, or you’ll be hungry!” — Booklist

“Ho’s softly bright, digitally rendered art colors the pages with the same enthusiasm and fullness as Sterling’s crisply sensate prose, which follows the family’s bustling preparations including Ren’s scrambling for groceries with Mama.” — Publishers Weekly

When Lola Visits Coloring Pages

A Sweet New Year for Ren Activity Sheets

Maribel’s Year Activity Sheets

Michelle’s Blog about Children’s Books

Honors, Awards & Recognition

A Sweet New Year for Ren
Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year 2023

When Lola Visits
Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Books of the Year 2021
NYPL Best Books for Kids 2021
BookPage Best Picture Books of 2021
2022 ALSC Notable Children’s Books
CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Choices Best of the Year List 2022
Bookstagang Best Picture Books of 2021
Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year 2022

Media clips

Kirkus | 5 Picture Books That Rewrite the Immigrant Story

NPR | 4 new books by Filipino authors to read this spring

Harper Stacks | CREATORS IN CONVERSATION: MICHELLE STERLING AND SARAH GONZALES

da Shop | da Shop Talk with Michelle Sterling, Picture Book Author

Blaine Org | When Lola Visits

GetPocket.Com | How to Help Kids and Grandparents Connect

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.