Creator Corner: Author Derek Mascarenhas and Illustrator Meneka Repka

Welcome to Creator Corner, a blog series where we interview the creators of our recent books. For this post, we interviewed The Mango Monster author Derek Mascarenhas and illustrator Meneka Repka, whose book published September 15, 2024!

Owlkids Books: Derek, why did you begin writing children’s books?

Derek Mascarenhas: Children’s books are like magic to me. I love how storytelling interplays with visuals, and how much can be contained in so few pages. I’d wanted to write one for the longest time, and I’m so happy to share aspects of my own childhood (mangoes! chapatis!) with the next generation of readers.

Owlkids Books: Meneka, how did you begin illustrating children’s books?

Meneka Repka: I got my start illustrating children’s books by being picked as a featured illustrator on the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) website a couple of years ago. From there, my agent found me, and I ended up getting an offer for my first picture book through her.

OKB: Derek, what inspired you to write this book?

DM: Anytime I’d bring mangoes home from Toronto, my young nephews would devour them. We’d playfully call them little mango monsters. I’d had an idea about a mango thief story many years ago, and something about the phrase “THE MANGO MONSTER” got stuck in my head. Sometimes when that happens (after a ton of effort), a story is born.

OKB: Meneka, what was the most enjoyable part of illustrating this book? What was the most challenging part?

MR: For me, the most enjoyable part was getting to work on the final art after the rough sketches were approved. I love working with color and adding details to the images in order to bring the story to life.

The most challenging part was working with the colour purple. For some reason, I have never gravitated towards purples, so it wasn’t within the realm of my usual drawing habits to use purple in a colour palette.

OKB: Derek, what was the most enjoyable part of bringing this story to life? What was the most challenging part of the process?

DM: For me, the best part of picture books is seeing the story come to life through the illustrations. In this instance, I was blown away with how Meneka Repka infused the story with color, action, and wonder. The most challenging part of the process for me is conveying everything with so few words.

OKB: Meneka, what was the inspiration for your illustrations in this book?

MR: I was very excited about the setting of the story, and I looked at lots of pictures and videos of Goa to find inspiration. I looked at Goan architecture, the patterns of Sari fabric, and traditional Goan food. Most of all, I wanted to capture the lush and vibrant plant life, the bright mangoes, and a sense of safety and comfort to balance the monster on the loose.

OKB: Derek and Meneka, what do you hope readers will take away from this book?

DM: There’s underlying themes of curiosity, problem solving, and the importance of sharing, but above all, this book is super fun! I want readers to go on an adventure with these two cousins as they creatively try to catch the Mango Monster!

MR: It was so fun to hide little clues in the images, so I hope that in addition to themes of curiosity, persistence, and sharing, readers will be looking for the possibility of a mango monster in the visual component of the pages!

OKB: Derek and Meneka, what’s a fun fact people may not know about you?

DM: My non-literary hobbies are playing chess and soccer (never at the same time).

MR: I love scary movies!