Welcome to the Back Matter Break Down! Today I’m excited to bring you an interview with a wonderful debut author, Steena Hernandez. She gives us a look into the process of writing and revising her back matter, and how she landed on mixing her personal story with some facts about dancers and ballet shoes. And don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom of the post so you don’t miss the giveaway! (Update: the giveaway is now closed) Let’s go!
Book: Lupita’s Brown Ballet Slippers
Author: Steena Hernandez
Illustrator: Melissa Castillo
Publisher / Year: Beaming Books, 2024
Genre: Fiction
Topics: Ballet, Dancers, Latine Stories, Race/Diversity
Blurb: Lupita’s big ballet recital is approaching. The music is perfect. Her ballet moves are strong. But her peachy pink ballet slippers don’t match her skin tone. Lupita searches for the right pair only to discover it will take hard work–and messy measures–in order for her shoes to dance with her.
What is your manuscript word count? What is your back matter word count?
My manuscript word count is 539. The back matter, including an Author’s Note and Ballet Is For Everyone section, has a word count of 458.
At what phase of the drafting/revising/publishing process did you decide your book needed back matter?
My very first draft had a small paragraph of back matter. I always knew I wanted to elaborate on ballet slippers specifically, but I needed to research and gather facts.
What kind of research did you do for the back matter?
I checked out books from my library about ballet and dancers like Misty Copeland. I searched many online sites and watched several videos.
What did the first draft of the back matter look like? Can you show us snippets?
This was my very first draft of my back matter. I shared it with my critique partners and received positive feedback and decided to leave it in the story.
Tell us about the back matter revision process. Why did changes occur? What changes and revisions came about after working with the editor/agent?
*This was before I had an agent. 🙂 My back matter changed during my Las Musas mentorship, when my mentor suggested I include information about my own dance journey and professional dancers of color.
Are there any other dancers or information that you wanted to include in the back matter but didn’t make the cut?
No, not really. My editor liked the back matter, and the order of the information was the only major change made.
Did you have kid readers or adult readers in mind when working on your back matter? What do you hope readers will take away after reading your back matter content?
As I was sharing my story, I was surprised to hear how many adults had never heard of “pancaking” ballet slippers. That made me want to include more information about the process, where dancers of darker skin tones apply a matching foundation/makeup to their traditional pink slippers, giving them elongated lines. Not until around 2018 did ballet companies begin creating ballet pointe shoes for dancers of color. I hope readers, kids and adults, will have a better understanding of some of the challenges dancers of color have faced and the importance of inclusion.
Reflecting on this process and what you learned, what tips (if any) can you offer picture book writers for writing back matter?
I look forward to reading the back matter in picture books. My favorite part is an Author’s Note that gives more information about their connection to the story. If your story is a personal one, try to expand on why you wrote the story and share memories and examples that may not be included in the story.
Also, if your story is nonfiction or based on true events, research online and visit your local library, collecting as much information about your topic as possible. You can organize your notes once you’ve researched and gathered your information.
Are there resources or comp titles you can share that would be helpful for writer’s wanting to learn more about back matter?
Annette Whipple has a great post on her website about back matter and frequently asked questions. She includes examples from her, The Truth About series, which all have wonderful back matter to reference.
https://www.annettewhipple.com/2022/01/writers-questions-about-back-matter.html
Other books I love with back matter:
–Ice Cream Everywhere: Sweet Stories from Around the World by Judy Campbell-Smith, illustrated by Lucy Semple (Includes an Author’s Note and What’s the Difference? of ice creams section.)
–Lola Out Loud: Inspired by the Childhood of Activist Dolores Huerta by Jennifer Torres, illustrated by Sara Palacios (Includes an Author’s Note about Dolores Huerta.)
–Tamales For Christmas by Stephen Briseño, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez (Includes and Author’s Note and a delicious recipe for tamales.)
–Enrö Rubik and His Magic Cube by Kerry Aradhya, illustrated by Kara Kramer (Includes The Magic Cube, By the Numbers, and Author’s Note sections.)
–Ladybug Launch: Inspired by a True Story of Chinitas in Space by Melissa Trump and Natalia Ojeda, illustrated by Manuela Montoya. (Includes Author’s Note from Natalia and a Spanish to English Glossary.)
–Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating, illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens (Includes additional information about sharks and a timeline of Eugenie’s life.)
Thank you, Steena! I love hearing how you found a way to make your back matter both informative and personal at the same time! Plus, you’ve given us some excellent recommendations of books to add to our lists (and thank you for the shout-out for my book, Ice Cream Everywhere!). Please support Steena:
-Steen’a Picture Book: Lupita’s Brown Ballet Slippers
–Steena’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/steenahernandez?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaZ0dz_vWBDng7HoAyWlZPStU1_rEnp5y-SL9q9SYQtLQvjcRyYkZ87Ys7o_aem_QZBTaBdpmq5FP7aFKpdmhQ
–Instagram: @steenahernandez
-Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/steenahernandez.bsky.social
–Website: www.steenahernandez.com
-Check out Steena’s critique services at My Critique Boutique: https://www.steenahernandez.com/critique-boutique
Now for the giveaway! Steena has generously offered a SIGNED COPY OF LUPITA’S BROWN BALLET SLIPPERS to one lucky winner!
To enter: leave one comment on this blog post by February 11, 2025 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. For additional entries, leave a comment on my (Judy’s) BlueSky and/or Instagram posts about this post for a maximum of 2 bonus entries. (Remember to check back on this blog post and social media to see if you are selected as a winner!)
Update: The giveaway is now closed! Congrats to Bri – you are the winner!
Thank you for reading!
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Judy Campbell-Smith 
Steena, I enjoyed hearing you read this beautiful story in Storytime Sprint! Thanks for sharing it with the world! ❤️
Congrats Bri! You are the winner of the giveaway! Please send me a message with your email so we can get the book to you!
Yay! Thank you so much! My email is brilawyer@gmail.com 😊
I enjoyed learning about your book. I think my students would enjoy it!
I can see how a lot of adults wouldn’t know about it. All more the reason to make a picture book about it!