Hiss-terical: A Cover Reveal and Discussion with Steph Lau on Medusa’s Pet Rock

Medusa has had quite a run in the children’s book world. I’ve been doing this long enough that I can remember various derivations of her tale over the years. There was the Ross Collins book early chapter book Medusa Jones. Oh! And what about Katherine Marsh’s Medusa: The Myth of Monsters? There was even a middle grade novel that I can no longer locate where a girl wakes up with snakes for hair and it’s a whole metaphor for puberty (can anyone else out there remember it?). But all these books are for the older reading crowd, of course. We haven’t seen a lot of Medusa representation on the younger end of things…

… until now.

Medusa’s Pet Rock is written and illustrated by Steph Lau and out everywhere September 22, 2026. It’s not the first Medusa picture book I’ve come across, but by gum it may be my favorite. As the publisher describes it:

A hilarious and heartfelt picture book by Steph Lau that puts a new spin on the misunderstood mythological character Medusa. Perfect for fans of We Don’t Eat Our Classmates and the Penelope Rex series by Ryan Higgins.

Medusa’s always been the odd one out: the monster in the classroom, the kid who can’t tame her snake-laden hair, and yes, the girl who perhaps accidentally zapped a few too many class pets. She tries to be careful. She tries to stay away, but inevitably well . . . ZAP! It always leaves her feeling just a little bit monstrous.

But there just might be a class pet that even Medusa can enjoy, one who will teach her how monstrously wonderful it is to be seen—by being herself.

Fair play to the copy editor for realizing that this is a natural companion to We Don’t Eat Our Classmates. That’s the right tone and vibe when it comes to this book. Today, we’re revealing the cover, but only after I talk to author/illustrator Steph Lau about coming up with this storyline herself:

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Betsy Bird: Steph! So delightful to get a chance to talk to you today! Now it seems to me that we get far too few mythologically-inspired picture books in a given year. Into that gap comes your Medusa and her unfortunate pet woes. Sympathy for monsters is great fodder for picture book plots. Where did you get the idea for this particular Greekish tale?

Steph Lau: Thanks for having me! Glad to be here!

I’ve been a bit of a mythology nerd ever since my elementary school did a module on Ancient Greece (I got a Greek name and everything!), but Medusa stuck with me in particular, because she’s such a lonely, tragic character. The idea of never getting close to anyone, because your gaze might literally kill them? Sounds like a terrible existence.

I was never a snake-haired monster, but there certainly were times growing up (or even as an adult), where I’ve felt lonely or monstrous. So, for my sake, and also Medusa’s, I wanted a version of the story where she gets a happy ending.

BB: Tell us a little bit about how you settled on the “look” of your Medusa. What did some of your preliminary sketches of her look like when you were hammering out this story? And were her glasses always a key component from the start or did they come a bit later? 

Steph: I knew from the start that if I was going to retell a villain’s story in picture book form, I needed to make her cute instead of scary. My early Medusa designs had woodland fairy vibes, and although they were kinda cute, they weren’t cute enough (too lanky) and felt a bit too anachronistic for a modern day retelling.

The final Medusa has a lot of rounder, softer shapes: her head is basically two giant beans squished together, she has round glasses, and a round little cinnamon bun in her hair. Even her snake heads are roundish.

I also gave a lot of thought to what color her skin should be, and what that’d imply in terms of who we center and who is considered a monster. Which is why Medusa ended up being a not-quite-human orange. (Or, if it’s a human orange, she’s overindulged in carrots. No wonder her eyes are so powerful!)

As for the glasses, it was tricky, because I needed Medusa to coexist with other kids without constantly turning everyone to stone. The eye zapping had to be a thing that only happened sometimes. I considered having her avoid eye contact for most of the book (which… relatable), but luckily, we eventually landed on the glasses, which gave me a lot more flexibility for storytelling.

BB: Hey, as someone who both avoided eye contact AND wore glasses, both are acceptable. Now sometimes landing the ending of a picture book is the most difficult part of the process. Not for you, though. The ending of this story is absolutely pitch perfect. It has everything! A surprise twist and a happy finish (it kind of reminded me of the end of the book THE MYSTERIOUS TADPOLE, for obvious reasons). Did you know the ending of your book (and the accompanying twist) from the start or did you come up with it later in the process? 

Steph: Aww, thanks! Let’s hope I land all the endings forever and ever.

I knew from the start that Medusa would have a rock, and that she’d end up with a friend, but not what form that friend would take or how we’d get there. Other versions included water nymphs, trolls, and even something very Weekend-at-Bernie’s-ish, but none felt as satisfying and umm… let’s say direct, as the current ending. I hope other people find it as satisfying as I do.

BB: Intrigued by the Weekend-at-Bernie’s possibilities, but I’ll put that aside for now. Was there anything that surprised you in the course of making this book? I have to assume that any character with multiple snakes for hair is going to require a little more work than drawing someone with more everyday follicles. 

Steph: People familiar with my other work may have noticed that I like using the extra bits on a character to showcase their emotions (e.g. Otto’s scarf in The Abominable Snow Dancer). So the snakes were fun for me, even if it was a challenge to figure out how many to show at a given time and how to best arrange them.

What surprised me was how hard it is to draw a circle that isn’t too perfect or too wobbly. (Why oh why did I make her glasses round?!?)

BB: I think Jeff Kinney would sympathize. At the end of your book you’ve an interesting section that discusses why you chose to take Medusa and make her a heroine rather than a villain for your tale. You then challenge the reader to do something similar, saying, “What story would you tell if you had the power to choose?” That sounds like an EXCELLENT writing prompt for teachers to me. What do you hope kids do with this section at the end?

Steph: On a craft level, I’d love to see a bunch of villain to hero / flipped POV retellings. (e.g. Make a nice character evil! Make an evil character nice! Retell the story from a less powerful or side character’s POV!)

On a more philosophical level, it seems that critically examining the narratives pushed by powerful people (historically, currently) is as important of a lesson as ever. I hope it inspires kids to find and amplify the stories that aren’t being told.

BB: Finally, what else are you working on these days? What’s next for you?

Steph: There’s a Medusa companion book planned for 2027ish, of the Misfit Mythology variety. We haven’t landed on the exact story, though I definitely have some ideas!

I’m also doing the illustrations for Clement the Two-Leaf Clover, about a supposedly unlucky clover finding his place amongst a patch of snarky four-leafers. That one is slated for Winter 2028.

Lastly, I’m working on a middle grade graphic novel… so editors, if you like the sound of “girl gets sent to live with estranged Grandma in the deity-infested swamp, after which magical and cultural shenanigans ensue,” hit my agent up, mmmkay?

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Shenanigans? Always welcome.

And now, the cover of the book itself, for one and all to see…

Big thanks to Steph for taking the time to answer all my questions today. Medusa’s Pet Rock is, as I mentioned before, out everywhere September 22, 2026. Look for it then!

Filed under: Cover Reveal, Interviews