There is a special web site ( still under development but getting there) with details of the available resources so far.
There will be four books in all, each for a different age group. The first is called "Two little birds."
This book has taken two years to create. I thought for a long time of some metaphor that would work for young children and provide a vehicle for that sense of something missing that womb twin survivors feel. Then I came up with the idea of two little birds who hatched out of the same egg, but only one of them was strong enough to fly.
I tried the story out on a few parents of womb twin survivors, who said that it was very sweet and sad but did not exactly describe the experience of their children. This seemed a bit dispiriting until someone told me that when it comes to writing a children's book, yes you need a good story but above all you need splendid, colourful illustrations.
So I contacted Rara Schlitt, a folk artist who I once met in Tennessee. She had illustrated several children's books already and had a raw, fresh naive style that suited this emotionally-changed material very well. Her intuition was superb and her commitment to the task absolute. She took classes in how to draw birds and flowers and rented a special studio. It took about 9 months to make the pictures and in May this year a large parcel arrived by FEDEX containing 13 beautiful and bright pictures. By the beginning of August I made the final payment and they were mine. I am the proud owner of 14 original oil paintings and I am very excited about that!
So using one of them, where the stronger bird supports the weaker in a first attempt at flight, I made a cover:
There will be many changes before this is exactly right, but we are on our way to getting this published.
If you visit this page, you can see details of this book and order your advance copy now. HERE
There is nothing to pay until publication.
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