Children's Book Author Kendal Grey

This week’s Writer Wednesday features children’s book author and Writing Room member Kendal Grey!

Based in Birmingham, Michigan, Kendal is the author of “A Woodland Dance Party,” a whimsical picture book about a princess torn between royal expectations and her true self.

Kendal is now expanding the story into a seasonal series that celebrates inclusion, friendship and authenticity through playful, heart-filled storytelling. Read more about her below!

What writing projects are you currently working on? 

I’m currently expanding my debut picture book “A Woodland Dance Party” into a full seasonal series! The next three titles are already in the works, with “DJ Yeti and the Full Moon Party” arriving just in time for Christmas 2025. This second book tells the origin story of the yeti — a lovable oddball who, in the first book, becomes the unlikely best friend of a princess navigating a tricky moment with her royal family.

Each book in the series explores big themes through playful, whimsical storytelling: walking to the beat of your own drum, chosen family, inclusion and welcoming those who are different from us. “DJ Yeti” leans slightly more into boy/tomboy energy while still keeping the warmth and heart of the first. Spring and summer 2026 will bring the final two books, wrapping up a series that’s all about friendship, celebration and making space for everyone at the party. 

What is your favorite part of the writing process?

Other artists and creatives will feel me on this: It’s that rare, electric moment when I write something that feels true. Not just good — but capital T true. Like it could stand the test of time, survive revision and fend off the evil fairy tricksters who sneak in at night and turn good writing into bad writing.

That feeling? It’s everything. I’m extremely self-critical, so reaching that point is no small feat. But when I do, I want to scream it out the window like a maniac or hire a plane to fly it across the sky on a banner — not to promote anything, but for the sake of the mad joyfulness only artistry can create, and that feeling of fulfilling one’s higher purpose.

When did you first realize your passion for writing for children?

I wouldn’t call it passion, exactly — it was more like frustration. I was reading every picture book in our public library to my small child, and I kept thinking, Where are the books that consider the adult reading them aloud? Where’s the sparkle in the language, the shared joy, the little wink for the parent holding the book?

So many of the books I found were either brain-numbing — afraid of tossing in a 25-cent word the way books from my childhood did — or so wordy that they lost my child’s attention and stressed me out. I was craving something that could make me laugh in the sleep-deprived, happy mania of early parenting while still fully engaging my child. Something fun, rhythmic and sharp — without all the unnecessary dialogue tags or the “word glue” adults lean on to explain things kids instinctively get.

So no, it didn’t come from passion. It came from a creative call to fill a gap. I wanted to write the books I couldn’t find — stories that uplift little ones and offer tired grown-ups a joyful read-aloud experience they’re actually happy to read night after night.

Where do you usually find inspiration for your stories? 

Children. They’re the only ones who can truly be trusted.

Whenever I’m reading to a classroom — or just as often, during a delayed flight, on vacation or in a doctor’s office waiting room — I try to stay ready. I keep a copy of my book with me and offer to read aloud whenever I can, especially to help out overwhelmed parents.

But to circle back to your question: grown-ups, with all due respect, are rarely much help when it comes to breathing life into these stories. The real inspiration comes from kids — the way they listen, laugh, interrupt and connect. That’s the sacred spark.

That said, I do have a savage little band of peer reviewers — mostly kids (and a few grown-up ones!) — who keep me honest, and their ideas are spectacular. But you’ve got to show up with some guts if you’re going to take feedback directly from children. It’s hard. And it’s everything.

They are the only ones I can trust with this sacred calling.

What message or themes do you hope children take away from your books?

Honestly, kids are born knowing the message — it’s the grown-ups who sometimes need reminding.

Be kind to everyone.
Help the friend who’s being left out.
Welcome those who are different.

Those are the big ones. But if there’s one message I hope kids hold onto, it’s this: Our world has gotten a little off track. It’s started to confuse happiness with likes and followers. But real happiness comes from knowing what you love, leaning into it with your whole heart, and — if you’re lucky — finding even one person who truly “gets” you. That’s the secret sauce.

And the beautiful, ironic twist is this: When you’re bold enough to be fully yourself, others are drawn to that energy. They get curious. They want to be near it. You end up making even more friends — but not by chasing approval. By being real.

To me, being truly yourself is a superpower. Because when you do that, you give everyone around you permission to do the same. And at the end of the day, we’re all just a big band of self-conscious, shy little monkeys who want to be loved, understood and embraced for who we really are.

Follow Kendal on Instagram at @kendalgrey and read more about her at authorkendalgrey.com.

— Interview by Jenna Hausmann