MELISSA POLYAKOV, 25, recently wrote her first children’s book, “Mr. Fact & Miss Opinion,” which was published by Paper Moon Publications.
“MR. FACT & MISS OPINION,” a children’s book written by River HomeLink teacher Melissa Polyakov, was illustrated by her friend and artist Yana Gruntkovskaya.
BATTLE GROUND - When 25-year-old River HomeLink teacher Melissa Polyakov started writing a children’s book about two years ago, she knew she wanted to write a book that wasn’t just something for children, but that could also be used in schools in an educational setting.
“I just started thinking about different things taught in school that I had never seen a children’s book on,” Polyakov said. “I thought about fact and opinion, and I immediately got this picture in my mind of a goat, kind of associated with stubbornness.
“I started to think about what opinion would look like (as a character) and I thought of a pig. I had done some sketches of a pig before I had even thought about writing this book, so it just seemed to fit.”
Polyakov’s book, titled “Mr. Fact & Miss Opinion,” introduces Mr. Fact (a goat) and Miss Opinion (a pig). Miss Opinion has an attitude of not being afraid to say what she thinks, while Mr. Fact is always factual no matter what. The book tells the story of Miss Opinion preparing a meal for Mr. Fact, full of many different flavors. The meal is Miss Opinion’s attempt to show Mr. Fact that sometimes expressing yourself through opinions can make life a lot more interesting.
“She (Miss Opinion) prepares a meal for him (Mr. Fact) and he has to describe how things taste,” Polyakov said. “Through that he’s able to learn about himself and how he can express himself through opinions. Miss Opinion isn’t wanting to change Mr. Fact, but she wants to show him how much more beautiful the world can be if you add in some opinion.”
Polyakov said her goal with the book was to personify fact and opinion to help teach children the difference between fact and opinion. She pointed out that fact and opinion can be an abstract thing that can be difficult for children to understand. By personifying the two concepts in her book, Polyakov said she hopes children can hopefully gain a better idea of what they both mean.
After beginning to write the book about two years ago, Polyakov said she did a lot of editing and rewriting, also attending some writing conferences to learn more about writing children’s books. She said there were several times that she thought the book was “done,” only to realize she needed to some more editing and writing.
“Mr. Fact & Miss Opinion” was published by Paper Moon Publications and was made available for purchase on Amazon.com on Aug. 30. Polyakov said the book has been getting a lot of attention since being posted on Amazon and said the book has been getting some good reviews. The book is a total of 32 pages, including the front and back covers, and was illustrated by one of Polyakov’s friends, Yana Gruntkovskaya.
Polyakova, who lives in La Center, has a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education from Multnomah University in Portland and she is also currently working on getting her master’s degree through Lesley University. She previously worked at Firm Foundation Christian School, for two years as a librarian and then one year teaching fourth grade. This year is her first year teaching at River HomeLink in Battle Ground.
