Melissa lives with her family in the Midwest, USA, and is currently hard at work on the fourth and final volume in The Guinea Pigs' Storybooks series.
With social media being such a prevalent source of information, it’s easy to miss something newsworthy or, in this case, a newsworthy person, if they don’t have a social media presence. So I decided to introduce Melissa J. Taylor to Guinea Pig Today readers. Admittedly “old-fashioned” and preferring to use websites, Melissa doesn’t have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, or use Pinterest. So I was pretty fortunate to stumble across her adorable guinea drawings as I was browsing guinea pig-related items in Café Press, which led me to her gem of a series of guinea pig adventures, the “Guinea Pigs’ Storybook Series.”
The first book in the series, The Guinea Pigs’ Summer Storybook, introduces readers to eight guinea pig friends and follows them on ten summer adventures. The guinea gang, including Percival, the only boy in the group, and Violet, who considers herself an expert on many topics and sometimes appoints herself as the group’s guide, includes pigs who were inspired by Melissa’s own guinea pigs that she’s had throughout her life. The friends return for more adventures in the Fall and Winter series’ titles. Each book in the series contains at least one-hundred pencil drawings by Melissa. The Storybook series is geared for a younger audience but, especially with all of the cute drawings included, they’re kind of irresistible for us slightly older guinea pig fans as well.
Melissa's guinea pig, Daisy.
Melissa’s latest book,
Gram, Gramps, and a Guinea Pig Named Rover, is an unrelated title aimed at readers ages 10 and up. The silly adventures of the eight friends give way to more serious topics, such as Gramps’ diagnosis with MS and the family’s ability to deal with financial struggles with humor and family support. There are no guinea pig drawings included in this book; however, Rover the guinea pig receives a place of prominence on the book’s cover. Although a departure from the lighthearted stories in the Storybook series, this book showcases Melissa’s depth as an author and her unique ability to weave a wide range of interesting characters around a central theme. But for those readers anxious to find out what the gang is up to in the Spring and to see some more of Melissa’s pencil drawings, stay tuned as the Spring title of the Storybook series is in the works!
About the author: Melissa J. Taylor has been writing since she was a small child. In addition to her guinea pig books, she has been a contributor to non-fiction magazines and is a product review writer for a major online retailer. She is currently owned by three guinea pigs, including Daisy, whom she adopted this year. To find out more about Melissa, you can check out her website or go to her author’s page.
If you have a great idea for an article about guinea pigs, please let us know. Guinea Pig Today is a network of guinea pig lovers and we’re always looking for the next great story. View our submissions page for more information on how to submit your idea.
Michiko has been a volunteer of Orange County Cavy Haven since she adopted her first guinea pigs five years ago. She currently cares for four adopted guinea pig boys and three fosters. She really enjoys being involved in rescue and associating with so many great people who care so much about these wonderful animals.
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Image courtesy of Michiko Vartanian