Welcome to the Back Matter Break Down! Are you a picture book author with back matter in your book? Contact me if you’d like to be interviewed on my blog!
It’s always fun when I get to share about something that I haven’t discussed before in this series. In a first for this blog, today’s interview will talk about a book that has both front and back matter! Let’s get going!
Book: Music Plants Hope
Author: Tonnye Fletcher
Illustrator: Natalia Bruno
Publisher / Year: Reycraft, 2026
Genre: Nonfiction
Topics: Music, Plants & Nature, Covid 19, Performance,
Blurb: This captivating true story documents one of the pandemic’s most beautiful artistic responses – when Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia transformed Barcelona’s empty Liceu Theatre into a concert venue for 2,292 plants.
What is your manuscript word count? What is your back matter / front matter word count?
Manuscript –304 words, Front matter — 79 words, Back Matter — 141 words.
Tell us a bit about the inspiration for your story.
An agent posted on Twitter a link to the concert and said she would love to have a picture book about it. I watched the clip, and knew it was the perfect story for me. As a music-lover and music-teacher, I firmly believe music has the power to heal and change the world. I’ve always been fascinated by how music might affect other species as well, so it was a perfect fit.
How did you decide to include both front matter (a prologue) and back matter (an epilogue) in this book?
Originally, it was only the lyrical retelling of the concert, but critique partners felt like it needed some grounding. I tried putting some grounding into the text, but it marred the flow. I attempted adding it in as an art note, but that fell flat as well. Eventually, the prologue and epilogue seemed to strike the right balance of grounding and sharing the pertinent information without losing the fluidity and flow of the text.
How did your front and back matter change with input from the publisher?
When I first spoke with my editor, she said the prologue and epilogue would have to go. She felt like it was better without it, so I moved it all to back matter as an author’s note. But, apparently the team decided it was better as a prologue and epilogue, so that is how it published.
I love how the photo of the concert hall fills the the spread in your back matter section. Did you choose the photo and were you involved in getting permission to include this photo? Whose idea was it to have it fill the page?
That decision was made by the publishing team, but I love it, and I’m very happy that they included it, especially since Natalia’s art is so whimsical and fantastical. I think the photo reminds us that while it was magical and unique, it was also very real and I believe it helps us to see what it actually looked like. Such a magical image in a whole other sense than the rest of the art work!
Is there more information that you wanted to include in the front matter or back matter but didn’t make the cut?
No, the prologue and epilogue are printed just as I submitted it. Of course, there is so much I could share, but I’m sharing that out in my socials on the #BackMatterBlitz and much of it will appear in my teacher guide. There is so much more to share about Eugenio and his vision, Puccini and his music, particularly Crisantemi, string quartets and their instruments, history and makeup, profiles of the plants and much more information about them, as well as the Liceu Theatre itself. I look forward to school visits and presentations to share all the fun things I’ve learned about these elements.
Are there books with back matter that inspired you as you worked on this book?
I love books with back matter. There were not any specific ones that inspired this particular manuscript. You don’t often see picture books with a prologue and an epilogue, but it seemed just right for this one. Books by Kirsten Larson, Annette Whipple and Melissa Stewart are great examples of books with excellent back matter. I love how creative back matter has gotten. It really is a lovely extension of the story — and great learning for teachers to use in their classrooms.
Thank you, Tonnye! I love how you thought through what was best for this story and let that question lead you to creating both back matter and front matter. Ultimately it ended up being the right choice for this project, so it’s a great reminder for writers to follow their instincts. Please support Tonnye:
Tonnye’s webiste for Music Plants Hope with links for purchase: https://www.tonnyefletcher.com/music-plants-hope.html
Twitter: @tonnyef
Facebook: @TWFauthor
Instagram: @tonnyefletcher67
Bluesky: @tonnyef.bsky.social
Readers can also follow me on Pinterest and YouTube
My multimedia blog, PBJamz, features picture books with musical hooks.
Now for the giveaway! Tonnye Fletcher has generously offered one lucky winner their choice of one of the following: a copy of MUSIC PLANTS HOPE, a PB critique (up to 800 words; no rhyming), or a virtual visit (school visit or AMA)!
To enter: leave one comment on this blog post by June 17 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!)
Thank you for reading!
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Judy Campbell-Smith 
This is such an incredible book! Love, love, love the story behind it, lyricaltext and gorgeous illustrations.
I’ve asked my library system to purchase copies of Tonnye’s book. So uplifting!
This story is so uplifting! It needs to be shared with the world!