In August, Jill McDonald released her latest book called Hello, World! From Seed to Pumpkin.  

"It follows how it (a pumpkin) starts as a seed,” McDonald says, “how you plant it in the dirt, the sunlight that it needs, the stages that you’ll see.” 

She’ll read it on Saturday, September 7, as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the Seed Library at the Ruiz Branch. The Seed Library is an extensive resource for free flower, herb, and vegetable seeds – for new and experienced gardeners.  

When McDonald was growing up, she didn’t envision a career as a writer. She's dyslexic – and says she relied on visuals for story clues.  

“I was not a very academic child; reading didn’t come easily to me,” she says. “But I knew I was good at art, so I dug into that.” 

After earning her BFA from Rhode Island School of Design with a focus on textiles, McDonald moved to New York City where she worked for Gap Inc. as a print stylist. She returned to the Midwest to work at Hallmark as an illustrator, and then in 2004, she opened a design studio with her husband and business partner, Antonio, on the third floor of their Westside home.   

Since 2016, she’s also written and/or illustrated nearly 30 books in the early learning series Hello, World!

Clare Hollander, Central's youth services manager, remembers first meeting McDonald when her son Luca was a student at nearby Crossroads Charter School visiting the Library. 

“And she was like, ‘Hey, do you have any books on the planets?’” Hollander recalls. “And I’m like, ‘Yeah, do I have books on the planets!” 

When McDonald starts working on a new book, she says she begins by surveying “what’s already out there,” doing a lot of research and then distilling it. 

“The first couple of books I worked on, I came to the Library. I knew I needed a lot of information,” she says. “I’m very visual and checking out a batch of books I’m researching gives me a clear picture of what I see missing and helps guide me with what I can add to the topic in a new way, that I’m not seeing covered.”

McDonald’s first book in the Hello, World! series focused on the solar system. Since then, she’s tackled dinosaurs, sharks, pets, and more. 

The series is geared toward babies and toddlers and intended to introduce nonfiction concepts. They're filled with simple facts and bright and colorful illustrations. 

“It's great to have the Library as a resource,” McDonald says. “And it's great to have friendly staff that take an interest and help and really want to see you grow.”

Hollander has worked at the Library for 18 years. Although her primary focus is on children – her storytimes for babies, toddlers, and families are often packed – she’s also established relationships with caregivers and continues to learn “that parents, of course, have lives. They're professional people who are doing all kinds of amazing things.” 

She’s looking ahead to McDonald’s Hello, World! book about sleep called Bedtime – and planning a possible pajama party.