tableau: What inspired you to begin writing books, specifically children's books?
Manzano: After writing for Sesame Street for so long, I wanted to write something that didn't have a cognitive skill attached to it you know. When you write for Sesame Street everything has to be approved and everything has to have a lesson in it and that's like the mission of the show: to teach good television. So I had to write according to what their curriculum was. And I wanted the opportunity to write something that was totally whimsical and fantasy and something that didn't have a perfect curriculum attached to it.
tableau: When did you start writing for Sesame Street?
Manzano: I started writing for Sesame Street around