“It is my pleasure to strongly recommend working with Melanie Córdova. She was my editor for my first book as an author, Sometimes All I Need is Me and it was a true joy. Her professionalism and creative overview on this project, allowed me to go deep on the process and connect with the emotional essence of this story. She was able to highlight my strengths and guide me with kindness until we arrived to the best version of the book. Sometimes All I Need is Me has won the Ezra Jack Keats Honor, got a starred review from Booklist, a wonderful review from Kirkus and it’s Spanish version, A veces yo soy todo lo que necesito, got selected by the New York Public Library as one of the best books of 2022.”

— Juliana Perdomo, author and illustrator of Sometimes, All I Need Is Me

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Melanie in multiple projects over the years, beginning with my chapter book series Juana & Lucas, winner of the Pura Belpré Award for its writing. From working together on chapter book series in Spanglish to dual-language books, Melanie’s contributions have been consistently brilliant and meaningful. Melanie cares for the story, the writer, and the reader, alike. This regard for the books our children read is met with her genuine enthusiasm, experience, and dedication, making the—often long and challenging—process of crafting a book a joyful and wholehearted journey.

— Juana Medina, author and illustrator of the Juana & Lucas series

“My agent and I weren’t aware that Melanie was on maternity leave when we sent her the dummy for Sari-Sari Summers. We were surprised to know that not only did she read it but loved it so much that she made an offer on what would be my debut picture book as an author-illustrator. She didn’t have to respond at that time but it showed that when Melanie loves stories, she is as excited as the creators themselves. Her edits were brilliant. She was able to find the missing pieces to the puzzle and she really cared about my intention as a storyteller….As a diverse author-illustrator, I appreciated an editor like Melanie in my corner making sure my story got told truthfully in a way that was even better than how I envisioned it.”

— Lynnor Bontigao, author and illustrator of Sari-Sari Summers

“Melanie Córdova is so special, and I feel extremely lucky that I got to work with her on two books that are very dear to my heart. She was my editor at Candlewick. She believed in my Spanglish text, and helped turn it from a raggedy manuscript to a beautiful book, Mi Casa Is My Home. She was able to give me notes in such a delicate way, and every one of her suggestions improved the text by 1,000 percent. She has such an eye for story, and she sees opportunities in places you never imagined. I would trust Melanie with my most special projects, and I hope I get to work with her again soon.”

— Laurenne Sala, author of Mi Casa Is My Home