When my son was 2 years old, my family when through a very difficult custody battle. Naturally, the children suffer the most through these issues, and on top of all of the hardship, my son was having a difficult time bonding with his new step mom. Where were the stories that celebrated step parents? That’s what these books are all about…
I asked a seasoned child psychologist about possible picture books that could help easy my son into the new addition to his family. There were plenty of books about other difficult life situations for children....where were the ones about divorce? Stepparents? Hello? Anyone?
There weren't any good picture books on divorce. What I did find of course, were some staggering numbers. It is commonly claimed that half of all marriages in the United States eventually end in divorce. 1300 new stepfamilies are forming every day. 50% of the 60 million children under the age of 13 are currently living with one biological parent and that parent's current partner.
Well, the facts and figures are staggering, so much so, that it compelled me to get to work! I decided to write my own picture books that deal with the issues and feelings children face when there lives are turned upside down by divorce and new family situations.
Watch out for the Red Rhino!
This is the cover art for our latest book!
Vincent has two families. Half the time he lives with super villains, and the other half of the time, he spends with super heroes. This can be really great sometimes, because he gets two of everything: two pets, two rooms full of cool stuff, and of course two times the amount of presents for birthdays and holidays!
But both sets of
parents want him to decide what he wants to do when he grows up. His
dad wants him to be a bad guy, his mom wants him to be a good guy. What
does Vincent want to do? Well, first off, he takes an unsanctioned
vacation to Australia! While there he meets a kindred spirit in a
mysterious uncle he's never met.
In the end, Vincent teaches all the parents a lesson in parenting, and if you read it, you might learn something about yourself too!
Everyone loves the Octo Chicken! (Just don't upset the Octo Chicken), in fact don't make any false moves around the Octo Chicken. Tell you what, just don't go down into the part of the lab, okay?
Vincent doesn't want to be a Villain or a Hero, so he and Franken Kitty decide to "borrow" the family jet and take a vacation!
Kids in blended families need a neutral third party sometimes...someone they can talk to outside of both households.
With two households, Vincent has two of everything. Blended families can sometimes be like this. Extreme opposites!
Scroll down for a sneak peek at the first five pages of "The Pancake Tree."
The team at Estudiohaus did an amazing job on illustrations. Jok and Gervasio were great to work with.
Scroll down to check out the first six pages of "Heroes, Villains, and Vincent!
Shahab Shamshirsaz did an amazing job on illustrations.
