You don’t have to sail away to exotic locations to have adventures — sometimes the most fascinating scenes play out in your own backyard.
This was the case for Belmont resident Elaine Dimopoulos, who found inspiration for her children’s book, “The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow,” right outside her window near the real-life Rock Meadow.
“It’s a celebration of community,” Cyndi Reitmeyer, president of the Friends of the Belmont Public Library, said about the book.
Reitmeyer said the Friends chose Dimopoulos to be the inaugural speaker for the group’s meeting on June 10 because of her gift for storytelling and her connections to Belmont.
A graduate of Simmons University’s Master of Fine Arts program in Writing for Children, Dimopoulos, a former teacher, has lived in town since 2017. She said Belmont’s flora and fauna have influenced her writing.
“The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow” is the first in a three-book series about the familiar meadow inhabitants. After dedicating that story to her 11-year-old daughter Athena, she wrote her second story, “The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow,” which is dedicated to her son Nicholas, 14. The third book, “The Valiant Voyage at Milkweed Meadow,” is coming in 2028.
The novels include illustrations by Caldecott Medal winner Doug Salati, that give each animal recognizable emotions without sacrificing realism. Salati won the coveted prize in 2023 for his work “Hot Dog.”
During Dimopoulos’ discussion, she showed slides of the Belmont critters — including rabbits, blue jays, deer, and more — she observed outside her windows and how they sparked her ideas.
She detailed how predecessors such as Beatrix Potter also wrote about anthropomorphized animals, exemplified by Potter’s most famous character, Peter Rabbit.
When Dimopoulos began writing her “Meadow” stories, her son was 6 and her daughter was 3. With political polarization continuing to spread throughout the country, she hoped her kids would find strength in community — a theme of the first book.
Dimopoulos said she wanted her children to know “we are stronger united” — a message she incorporated in her series without being “preachy.” In Milkweed Meadow, a diverse array of creatures led by protagonist Butternut the rabbit must come together to help each other, rather than remain siloed by species.
“Sometimes we need to take a hard look at ourselves” and consider other ways of thinking, she said.
As a writer and teacher, Dimopoulos also emphasized the central role libraries play in many kids’ lives and praised Belmont’s accessible new facility. She recalled her own childhood going to the Peabody Institute Library, where she found tales that influenced her formative years.
In a Q&A with the audience afterward, attendees asked Dimopoulos what advice she’d give other writers hoping to get their work published. She said although it can take time, the sooner you start writing, the better.
