Jessica Almeida never got to know her grandfathers, but they played a role in the storyline for her first children’s book.

Both of her grandfathers died before she could develop relationships with them, which led Jessica Almeida to consider what their memories could have looked like. She drew on these thoughts for inspiration for her new children’s book, “Nellie Learns Patience.”

Ms. Almeida, a Bristol resident, tells the story of a little girl named Nellie who is picking vegetables from her papa’s garden. Her grandfather is trying to teach her patience by showing her when the time is just right to pick the ripened vegetables. Nellie is impatient at first, asking her papa to pick the vegetables right away. From her papa’s guidance, she learns how important patience is.

“It is kind of something I always wish I had but I never had the chance to experience,” Almeida said.

Self-publishing company TellWell published the book last December, but Ms. Almeida did not announce its release until Jan. 30 with posts on her Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

Ms. Almeida had the idea to write the book when she was pregnant with twins in 2015, writing three quarters of it in a journal at the time. She took a four-year pause on writing to raise her son and daughter, Liam and Kennedy, but found an opportunity to resume once the pandemic struck and she began working from home.

“I don't know why I thought it would have been the perfect time, because it’s not as if extra hours were added to the day, but it got me thinking and I wanted to try to pursue it,” Ms. Almeida said. “So I took it out, finished the manuscript, and I sent it off to a few publishers, as well as self-publishing companies. I heard back from a couple and I found the one that fit best for me.”

A personal project

The book has a lot of other connections to her personal life, notably the name of the main character Nellie, which was the name of Ms. Almeida’s paternal grandmother. The blue car parked in front of papa’s house in the book is a nod to the blue 1985 Dodge Omni she and her parents had, which she said was her favorite car.

The gardening aspect of the book is derived from Ms. Almeida’s family always having a garden at home.

“My father always had a garden while my brother and I were growing up,” she said. “My brother now has one, and my husband and I started one, so we’ve always had some type of garden in our lives.”

The artist and friend

Justine Tobin, Ms. Almeida’s childhood friend who grew up with her in Warren, drew the illustrations within the book. They have been friends since they were around six years old.

“She always liked art,” Ms. Almeida said. “She loved to paint. She liked to do everything, so I reached out to her and asked if she had any interest in this proposed book.”

Ms. Almeida shared her thoughts with Ms. Tobin on how she envisioned the look of the characters. The artist drew some mock-ups and they gave each other feedback a few times before Ms. Almeida finally found one she loved.

Ms. Almeida said her children love the book and added they have already read it numerous times. Her twins are not old enough to read yet, but they are already making connections after reading the book and picking out basic words.

“They call my father papa, and there is a papa in the book, so they associated that the first time I read the book to them,” Ms. Almeida said. “They actually interrupted me the first time I was reading it to them to say, ‘that's papa, that’s like my papa!’ ”

The book is dedicated to Ms. Almeida’s children. When someone new comes to their house, she said they are excited to show that their names are printed.

“Not that they understand what dedication really is, but they get excited and they’re excited about the book, which makes it really fun to see,” Ms. Almeida said. 

Where to find it

“Nellie Learns Patience” is available at Barrington Books at 184 County Road in Barrington and at Paper Packaging and Panache on 418 Hope St. in Bristol. The book can also be purchased on Amazon or at Barnes & Noble. Ms. Almeida also donated copies to Roger Williams Free Library and Warren’s George Hail Library. 

Ms. Almeida will be having her very first book signing next month at Rosemary’s School of Dance Education. Details will be provided through social media once it is confirmed.