Book Chat: Lellie Lopter

Lellie Lopter is an award-winning author, children's literacy advocate and illustrator. Her previously published books as an author include My Brother, Born Sleeping (The Knowledge Centre, 2023) and Rhyme Time 1: Poems and Rhymes for Really Good Times (The Knowledge Centre, 2023). Lellie has also been a contributing illustrator to anthologies such as Somewhere Lost (Daisy Lane Publishing, 2025), with much more to come. It's a pleasure to welcome Lellie to the blog.

Thanks so much for dropping by for a Book Chat, Lellie, and congratulations on the publication of Bella Grows a Bicycle. To begin with, I’d love to know a little about the life journey that has brought you to this point as a creative.

Wow! What a huge question, Cameron, and it’s quite a long story with many chapters, so to just give you the blurb of my most recent chapter: I was forced to reconsider my career options after Covid killed my career and a medical diagnosis resulted in me needing a dozen surgeries since 2020 that have left me in a body that doesn’t always agree with my ambition. When what I had imagined for my future changed, I had to figure out a way to forge a new future. I’ve always been a writer, but illustrating has emerged through pain management and art therapy.

Bella Grows a Bicycle is an incredibly memorable story, built around such a beautiful structural concept. It’d be great if you could share a little about the origin of the ideas for this story, and why you felt drawn to write it.

Another great question! Bella Grows a Bicycle is a reflection of my education and my experiences as a child and as a parent. Swapping has always been a part of who I am. 75 years ago, my Nana and her best friend swapped their baby clothes when they both had children at the same time. Nana had only had boys and then a girl at the same time her best friend, who had only had girls, had a son. Swapping helped both families get what they needed and gave the baby clothes a second life in a new family. When I was growing up in a single parent household with my mum, three older siblings, and even more foster siblings, new things were not common. Swapping was how we got the things we wanted. For example, I really wanted to learn how to play the violin, so when my father refused to pay for violin lessons anymore, I swapped babysitting the violin teacher’s children for violin lessons to keep learning.

I wanted to write Bella Grows a Bicycle because as a University lecturer facilitating units like sustainability and entrepreneurship, I saw the effect Covid had on the economy, my students and their families. Even really wealthy families were struggling and as the cost of living crisis began impacting families, I could see the effect it was having, not just on kids saying ‘I Want’, but parents having to admit, some for the first time, that they couldn’t afford to get kids what they wanted. The Swap-Economy isn’t a solution for everything, but the little things it helps with can make a big difference.

What are the main messages you hope your readers take away from Bella Grows a Bicycle?

There are so many deliberate (and hidden) themes underpinning this book. It deals with patience, resilience, resourcefulness, sustainability, upcycling, recycling, re-purposing, and it introduces people to the swap economy in a way that makes it accessible, even for children.  I hope kids finish reading this book and think to themselves, ‘I can do that’. I hope parents think the same thing. Learning how to achieve a goal through small incremental steps is a valuable skill, not just for kids, but for grown ups, too.

Can you tell us a little about the actual process of writing the manuscript for Bella Grows a Bicycle? Were there any surprises along the way?

I started writing Bella Grows a Bicycle in rhyme but the more I read it, the more the rhyme made the core message of the book seem gimmicky instead of practical. I didn’t want to write a book that kids finished and think, ‘That’s nice’ or even ‘Read it again’. I wanted to write a book that inspires kids to take action. I hope kids finish reading Bella Grows a Bicycle and immediately want to clean up their rooms looking for things to swap.

My biggest surprise in getting Bella Grows a Bicycle was how easy the process was once it was started. There were a few sketches that were revised, and some text changes, but everyone was just so professional and dedicated to giving the book the best chance of succeeding in a very crowded picture book market.

Is there any particular continuity or connection between Bella Grows a Bicycle and your other books?

I write books that make kids think big, feel deep, and laugh out loud. Bella Grows a Bicycle is a book that makes people think about all the possible swaps they can make. The continuity and connection between this book and my other books is that I am not afraid to write about tricky topics. My previous publication, My Brother Born Sleeping is a book about pregnancy and infant loss. This is a feel deep book that also tackles a tricky topic. I think because I am an Academic Researcher and University lecturer as well as a children’s author and illustrator, I love finding a way to explain difficult things in an easy to understand way.

Does your background as an illustrator inform the way you write picture books?

Definitely, but differently. Some books I write with the pictures in mind and others I write with breathing room for an illustrator to be able to add their own interpretation to the story. Some books, I have lots of illustration notes and others have none at all. It really depends on the topic and how much weight the illustrations can carry. I love to see other people illustrate my writing and I like illustrating other people’s writing.

I’d love to know a little about the nature of your collaboration with your incredible illustrator, Chiara Franceschetti. Did you have the chance to see Chiara’s approach to your story take shape?

Chiara did an amazing job with the illustrations and her style matches Bella Grows a Bicycle so well. I was originally sent links to her work and asked if I would like to collaborate with her on this project and I fell in love with her scooters, bikes, and the round little faces of her characters. I got to see the initial drafts and make suggestions for changes. Then I saw the cover develop first, then a few spreads. Watching it all come together was amazing.

What’s next for Lellie Lopter?

I have a few more books coming out this year. I have contributed my writing to a book for teens called Under A Different Sky that will be published by Rhiza Press. Then my illustrations will appear in the third book in the Remember series by JE Miller which will be called Heart and Soul. Then there is a junior fiction anthology coming out with Daisy Lane and Just Write For Kids called Literally Hilarious: Families Gone Wild, which is all set to be loads of fun. What I am most looking forward to though, is undertaking my first children’s writer and illustrator residency at the Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong. I think I am going to learn a lot and I love learning!

Where are the best places for people to find you online, and to follow Bella Grows a Bicycle as it takes flight?

People can find me through my website at www.lellielopter.com or my Instagram and Facebook is @lellielopter. Bella can be found in all good bookshops, libraries and schools or it can be ordered from one using ISBN number 9781923457720.

Thanks so much for taking the time to chat, Lellie, and for sharing so generously about your own journey and challenges. I wish you great success for Bella Grows a Bicycle, and for all of your upcoming projects.

This post is part of a blog tour for Bella Grows a Bicycle, presented by Books On Tour PR & Marketing. Please keep following Lellie's journey on all the incredible blogs and sites below.