We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cheryl Cheatham a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Cheryl, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

During Covid I was unable to see my 3 little granddaughters. I started drawing and texting them pictures daily. The pictures were mostly of cute animals to make them smile and show them I was thinking of them. After about 100 pictures, my middle granddaughter said, “Yaya, you should make a book”. So, I did. 5 years and 12 books later, I now collaborate with all 3 granddaughters on children’s books. I am most proud of giving back to my community. I donate books to my local children’s hospitals, schools, and daycares. So far, over 1500 books have been donated. My granddaughters have collaborated with me on 4 books. We are very official. We sit at the dining room table and brainstorm story lines, character development, and everything it takes to go from a simple idea to holding a published book. Considering my girls were 6, 10, and 14 when we started, that is quite the accomplishment. We are currently working on book number 13, with a Spring 2026 release.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have always been creative and never dreamed of authoring or illustrating award-winning children’s books. My style is whimsical, and my technique is hand-drawn and hand-colored for my first 10 books. Old school with paper and colored pencils until I learned a new technique with Procreate and a magic pen. I taught myself how to self-publish my books by asking questions and doing a lot of research. I have learned you better love your subject matter because you eat, drink, and sleep the storyline and characters for months or years. When I begin a new book project, I get a little OCD about it. I work on some part of creating the characters, the storyline, the relationship between the characters, and the drawings every day until I have laid the groundwork in my brain. My books are full of love, hope, and kindness. Adorable animals, silly stories, and adventures that go around the universe. I am most proud of donating to children who really need a smile. I am trying to change the life of a child one book at a time.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a children’s book author is when a child comes up, hugs you, and says they LOVE my books. Many children who have read my books have sent me their drawings of one of my characters. I get storyline and character suggestions from kids all the time.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

A driving force in my journey is giving kids adorable books full of adventure that make them smile. Reading is so important for the rest of their lives. Creating stories and characters that make kids giggle is very rewarding. I am working on book #13 with two of my granddaughters. We share a passion which warms my heart.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: YayaTheSheep
• Facebook: Yaya The Sheep