A Story That Needed To Be Retold
Scoochie & Skiddles: Scoochie’s Adoption Story follows a little girl who teaches her friends about adoption and different kinds of families. What was the inspiration for your story?
The character Scoochie is inspired by my oldest daughter. The book, Scoochie’s Adoption Story, chronicles our family’s experience in adopting her. However, the book is inspired by an actual incident at the park when another girl inquired about my daughter’s family. The book represents how my daughter proudly explained her adoption experience to this other girl. I could not have been more proud of her and, in that moment, I knew it was a story that needed to be retold.
The art in this book is fantastic. What was the art collaboration process like with illustrator Dusting James?
Thank you. Dustin has illustrated both of my books and has been a wonderful collaborator. He gets my vision, which makes the process easy. I offer a scene description and give him creative liberty to bring it to life. While Scoochie’s Adoption Story is primarily about the main character and her family, I wanted the images to represent a broad range of diverse families. Dustin and I paid close attention to the background characters in the park scenes to ensure this diversity. I am very pleased with how it all turned out.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Most importantly, I wanted to concept of family diversity to come through. Every family is so different, and I wanted to celebrate those differences. I also wanted to normalize the adoption process as one way a family can be formed. Finally, I wanted to showcase same-sex parents and create greater visibility and representation of gay parents.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
There are several concepts on the storyboard. Since adopting our second child, my available time to write isn’t the same as it once was. At this point, I would project book #3 to come out sometime in 2023. Lifting up diverse families in children’s literature will continue to be the theme of my books.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Scoochie was adopted by her two daddies through an open adoption. In Scoochie’s Adoption Story, Scoochie takes you on the journey of her and her daddies’ adoption experience. She tells of the many distinct processes related to adoption such as the “match” process between her birth mom and daddies, the hospital and post-hospital experience, and the adoption hearing that legalized her adoption. Most importantly, she expresses her respect and positivity for her birth mom and birth family, while exuding immense pride and endless love for her two daddies and soon to be adopted sister. While the book’s theme is Scoochie’s adoption, it honors and celebrates families of all types and structures. The story is an uplifting story about the bond family.
Narrated by the book’s main character, Scoochie’s Adoption Story is told in child-friendly language with adoption concepts presented in a manner that are easy for children to understand. It is a celebration of family, regardless of family composition or how a family has been created. Through text and illustration, the story represents a wide variety of families and sends a strong message of diversity and inclusion. A perfect reading book for all families and especially for children of LGBT parents, diverse families, and families touched by adoption.
Those who may enjoy the book include:
All families and all children
Parents looking for books on diversity
Birth parents
Adoptive parents
Adopted children
LGBT parents and LGBT allies
Diverse families / mixed race families
Adoption agencies / Adoption case workers
Adoption attorneys
Adoption facilitators
Individuals and couples considering adoption
Social Workers and Counselors
Teachers and Guidance Counselors
Child Protective Services / Family Preservation
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) advocates
For more information, visit us on the web at scoochieandskiddles(dot)com or email us at hello@scoochieandskiddles.com
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2022/11/11/a-story-that-needed-to-be-retold/
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