Chelsea DiCicco’s Construction Crew books feature vehicles who solve problems and help others. In this interview, she shares how she began working with Capstone, what goes into writing for beginning readers, and how her years as a children’s librarian shaped the stories.
The series is published by Capstone’s Picture Window imprint and illustrated by Emily Paik.
Construction Crew comes out in January 2027. For book details and information about ordering directly from Chelsea, visit her order form.
How did Construction Crew come your way?
Chelsea: In August of 2024, I sent a letter of interest to Capstone in regard to work-for-hire projects. In my letter, I shared my writing taste, style, and experience, and attached a sample of my work. The following August of 2025, one full year later, I got a response to my letter from an editor at Capstone who was very enthusiastic about my writing and the prospect of working with me. He told me about a series that they wanted to do on construction crew books with one of their imprints, Picture Window, and asked if I would be interested in writing it, and I said yes. That opened the door to this and several other exciting writing opportunities to follow.
Was there one character you connected with right away?
Chelsea: Because the characters are vehicles versus people, and because they were presented from the very beginning as a group rather than one main character driving the story series, I can’t say I felt a particular partiality or connection with any one single character. Instead, I view them as a lovable team with shared values. That being said, as a whole, I felt connected to certain characteristics that their team has, like their caring spirits and desire and willingness to help others.
Which of the first four stories gave you the most trouble, and what finally made it click?
Chelsea: Hm. That’s a good question. Honestly, all four books felt very natural to write, but if I had to pick one, I’d say book number two, Bucket and the Landslide.
The second book was originally going to be about a snowstorm coming into town and dropping power lines and all sorts of trouble. But the problem ended up changing into a landslide because most vehicles used in snowy situations aren’t commonly used on construction sites, like snow plows, for example. Since we wanted a cast of characters who would recur throughout the books, we ended up going with a situation that better suited the needs of the series. That adaptation came about through brainstorming with my editor. (He is the best!)
How do you keep a story lively when you’re writing for children who are still learning to read?
Chelsea: Keeping a story lively involves thinking about the world from a child’s perspective. To do that, you really have to know how kids think. What’s important to them? What’s interesting? What’s exciting? What’s troubling?
It helps to spend time with kids. And read a lot of books in whatever age group and genre you’re writing.
A kid’s world is a lot softer than a grown-up’s world. It’s naturally hopeful, innocent, kind, imaginative, and curious. Those are the magical ingredients that keep stories lively!
Now, when talking about writing books for kids that are intended to be read by kids versus being read by adults to kids, like early level readers and early chapter books, that’s when you have to be more thoughtful.
You still want to have all the “magical ingredients,” but now you have to balance that with intentional text and language choice. For my Construction Crew early level readers, I focused on using as many decodable words as possible and avoiding long words and words with too many syllables. I also had specific rules in my writing guide and contract on what grammar and styles I was not allowed to use; for example, I couldn’t use em dashes, colons, semicolons, or italics, because these are considered more advanced than my target readers and their reading level. Most of the specific rules about what you can or cannot do are going to depend on your book’s reading level and your publisher’s preferences.
Did anything from your time as a children’s librarian come to mind while you were writing these books?
Chelsea: Oh my goodness—so many things! When I was drafting these books, it reminded me of all the times I organized and hosted crafternoon classes, nature walks, and STEAM Homeschool Group.
I also thought about all the kids that came into the library who were obsessed with construction vehicle books, and I’d ask myself questions like: “What was their favorite vehicle?” “What did they like about it?” “Which books did they check out over and over again?” “What would they like about my characters?” “What could happen in my story that they would think was silly and/or put a smile on their face?” and “How can my stories be both entertaining to that child and also make them feel safe, happy, and connected?”
Then, of course, I’d also think about crafts and projects that could go along with the stories and be utilized in a classroom or library.
What has been different about working with Capstone after publishing ADHD AND ME on your own?
Chelsea: When you publish independently, in a lot of ways, you’re alone. That’s the reality. It’s just YOU, in a trench, pushing this dream forward up a steep hill. And while there may be people cheering for you, they aren’t in the trench with you; they’re watching from the sidelines. As much as they may applaud you and want you to succeed, they don’t fully understand the journey you’re on, the challenges you face, and the willpower it takes to continue pushing. But having a publishing team behind you? That’s a totally different story.
I can’t emphasize enough how uplifting and encouraging it’s been to have a team who supports me and believes in my writing—and sees my creative vision! And not only that, they aren’t just cheering from the sidelines; they’re working beside me, helping me push this dream forward up the steep hill of publishing, every step of the way.
I’m especially appreciative of my editor, who has been invaluable to this project. His patience, his thoughtful responses and helpful feedback, his clear, kind, and functional communication, his flexibility—and the list goes on—have made this experience such a good one.
To be very transparent with you, being a girl with ADHD, I often need to ask a lot of questions to make sure I’m understanding things correctly. And sometimes, my questions are long. And I have a lot of them. But my editor has been so receptive to all my questions and always goes above and beyond to make sure that things are clear. I’ve never left a conversation feeling confused or like I’m missing information. And I never feel nervous to ask if I want extra clarity on something.
That, to me, is such a huge relief. Because constantly throughout my life, I’ve been made to feel like my neurodivergent brain is too complicated or too much, or that I am just overthinking. And you know what? Maybe I do overthink things sometimes. That’s just the way my brain works. But having a team that makes you feel like your thoughts, concerns, and questions are always important and never “too much” or “too complicated” is truly a great feeling.
Additionally, the entire editorial team at Capstone that I’ve worked with so far has been so collaborative and helpful. I’m so grateful and wish all working experiences could be like this one.
How did it feel to see the first four covers together?
Chelsea: It was so exciting! A flood of joy. I happy cried when I saw them. They were even better than I imagined.
Speaking of which, I just want to say that my illustrator, Emily Paik, has done amazing work. As I mentioned before, the Capstone team is very collaborative, so I was looped in for all the decision-making and art edits, and I was so impressed with how well my illustrator was able to take feedback and edits and implement the changes so beautifully in the final artwork.
The crew often has to pause, help someone, and work out a problem together. What do you hope children notice about the way they handle those moments?
Chelsea: There’s no question that the crew are all great problem-solvers. But more than that, they’re kind and empathetic towards others. They never let pride get in the way of a good idea. They listen to each other and work together. And because of this, they are stronger together. These are all such beautiful qualities that literally everyone can take a lesson from. I hope kids pick up on those things.
Like, empathy and truly caring for others. Not being so set on our goal that we don’t take time to help, but instead, being patient and taking the time to consider the needs and feelings of others. And not allowing setbacks to discourage us so badly that we give up when things don’t go as planned, but instead, use the setback as an opportunity to think creatively to come up with a solution that works for everyone.
Thank you, Chelsea, for talking with us about Construction Crew and sharing what it takes to write for children who are learning to read.
About Chelsea DiCicco
