MICHAEL GIRGENTI

Creates a Magical Brand of Children’s Books

by Melissa Fales

Michael Girgenti is a children’s book author and the proud founder of Strawberry Pencil Magic, a unique brand of children’s books that promote positivity, cultivate creativity, and offer original characters and themes. Girgenti’s latest book, Gelo: The Italian-Ice Snowman is about a delicious snowman who lives in fear of melting, or even worse, being eaten. “I joke with people all the time who ask where this stuff comes from,” says Girgenti. “I say, Disney and Seuss follow me around whispering stories in my ears all day. But with Gelo, it came to me almost by second nature because I love Italian ice and I am 50 percent Sicilian Italian.” 

Growing up, Girgenti did a lot of reading. “I remember a lot of Dr. Seuss when I was little and a lot of R.L. Stine when I started to get older,” he says. “According to my mother, when I was a child, I made her read Green Eggs and Ham to me so much that by the time my sister was born and also wanted to hear the book, she couldn’t do it anymore.”  

Instead of jumping right into creating children’s books, Girgenti explored numerous opportunities to see where the best fit was. “I’ve probably done every career path in the entertainment field you can think of, from movies and music to fashion” he says. “I am a big go-with-the-flow type of person and an array of different opportunities kept presenting themselves to me, so I just kept taking them and allowed my intuition to guide me, unsure of where I was going but had faith it would take me where I belonged.”

Girgenti was working as a screenwriter when a notable animation executive saw his potential and encouraged him to pursue writing children’s books. After some consideration, Girgenti realized that the children’s book market needed someone like him to come in and shake things up. “Besides the passion for creating, and all the ‘signs’ to get into (the children’s book market), I felt like it had been a long time since someone came in and changed the game or stirred the pot.” 

Girgenti thought that the children’s book universe was ready for something new and different, like Strawberry Pencil Magic. “Although there’s tons of great books, most of them feel like a quick flash in the pan or it’s the same characters and stories they’ve been promoting or feeding us for years,” he says. “The world has changed immensely and in my opinion, the industry is lacking excitement and new ideas. Originally, I thought writing kid’s books would be something I’d do as a hobby during retirement or something, but I felt in my soul the world needed these characters and stories now.” 

To that end, Girgenti is releasing a public service announcement on YouTube this month about Strawberry Pencil Magic books. “It’s almost indescribable,” says Girgenti. “I don’t know why or how it has become my focus, but all I know is that it feels right and the children and parents who have been exposed to the books go nuts for them, which is humbling and also the only confirmation I needed to dive deeper.” The idea behind the brand’s unusual name stems from Girgenti’s belief that “if you create from the heart, magic happens.” He explains that the strawberry symbolizes the heart, the pencil represents the process of writing, and the magic is the desired outcome.

One tenet of the Strawberry Pencil Magic brand is to produce lighthearted picture books. However, now that the brand is growing, it’s begun branching out to include other types of books. “We just released our first YA short novel called Ledmin, which is short for Peppermint Ledmin: The Space Penguin,” says Girgenti. 

Girgenti is often asked which of the Strawberry Pencil Magic’s original characters is the brand’s “Mickey Mouse” or star. “It’s very difficult to say who’s the flagship character,” says Girgenti. “Peri and Her Plant just won the Royal Dragonfly award. It’s one of our favorites and it encourages saving the planet and going green. It’s also one of our stories that helps push and support diversity in the literary world. Little Catty Poo is another super fun one too.”

It’s unnecessary, feels Girgenti, to deem certain characters or books as the brand’s best. “In my opinion, they’re all incredible and they should each be loved equally,” he says. “This isn’t a spoiler alert, and most people don’t know this, but ALL the books and characters are connected. Over time, they will start crossing over into each other’s stories. In a lot of ways, it’s kind of like one gigantic Marvel universe of some sort.” 

Girgenti is currently seeking investors to purchase shares in Strawberry Pencil Magic and help with growing the brand’s vision. “Our goal is to enhance and preserve the creativity in children forever,” he says. “There’s an old saying: ‘A creative adult is a child who survived.’” It’s also crucial to Girgenti that Strawberry Pencil Magic remains authentic. “It’s about being true to the art, encouraging positivity with no hidden messages or agendas,” he says. “Money keeps businesses running, sure, but integrity will never expire. People should invest in Strawberry Pencil Magic because it’s a quality product that brings happiness with every page turn, time and time again.”

“Most people make books as a bucket list kind of thing, others are doing it as a job, but for me, I do it because the characters and stories make me laugh. Smiling is contagious, and I’m actively looking to spread it.”

Girgenti’s plans for the future are simple: “Books, more books, and more books,” he says. He’s also working on creating an animation teaser for a Strawberry Pencil Magic book that has the potential to develop into a film or television show. “We are definitely interested in teaming up with companies such as Scholastic, Nickelodeon, Disney, Harper Kids, Random House, PBS, Cartoon Network, etc.,” he says.  

For now, Girgenti is focused on his latest book for Strawberry Pencil Magic: Gelo: The Italian-Ice Snowman. It’s about a snowman not made with just plain old water, but of sweet, lemon-flavored Italian ice. “As you can imagine, tasting so good brings him many problems,” says Girgenti. Some people want to catch him to eat him, and he faces other predators as well. “There’s a fire tiger named Kordus that wants to melt him and study his ingredients so he can manipulate his mixture for profit,” says Girgenti. “Gelo,” notes Girgenti, is one of the Italian language’s words for “frost.”  

When it comes to being a children’s book author, Girgenti has no trouble explaining what he likes the best about the job. “ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING,” he says. “There are no creative boundaries, and that part excites me the most, but the best part is making parents and children laugh and smile.” Similarly, Girgenti easily describes what he doesn’t like about being a children’s book author. “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING,” he says. “There’s no bad part to it, it’s way too fun. If creating kid’s books is grueling or annoying, you might be in the wrong field. Most people make books as a bucket list kind of thing, others are doing it as a job, but for me I do it because the characters and stories make me laugh. Smiling is contagious, and I’m actively looking to spread it.” 

For more information about Michael Girgenti and Strawberry Pencil Magic, visit strawberrypencilmagic.com.