Why we started writing our own books

Developmental skills are important for children when growing up. They need to be able to learn a language, recognize colors, and name animals. Luckily, there are many ways for children to learn new things – television shows, YouTube videos, games, and books. No matter which way your child prefers to learn, it is important to make them feel as comfortable as possible. Learning something new can be stressful for a child. As a parent, you want to make sure that your child is learning not only in a healthy environment, but also one that they can relate to. So what happens when a child learns from a book, but cannot relate to the information? Unfortunately, this happened to my husband and I and it also frequently happens to other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) families. We could not find any books that looked like our little family and we found ourselves wanting families like ours to be included in children’s books.

Many books, same story

Let’s face it, books have existed for a very long time and because of that, most books depict the same type of family: a husband, a wife, and their children. As a family of two same-sex parents, we never saw our family type included in books. There are many books about LGBTQ+ adoption, surrogacy, and acceptance. However, there are almost no developmental books for children that depict an LGBTQ+ family. Having such families included in children’s books is important because it provides a sense of familiarity and also shows the child that there are other families out there just like theirs.

Families like ours

My husband and I noticed the lack of LGBTQ+ families in books and used this as an opportunity to create more inclusive developmental books for children. Rather than just writing one book and calling it done, we decided to create our own brand, Colorful Family, which allowed us the chance to write many LGBTQ+ children’s books. Much like any other LGBTQ+ family, we realized the need for such books because of our own family. Since we have been raising our two-year-old son, we wanted to create books that depict families with one or two dads. By making families more inclusive in our books, children with LGBTQ+ parents would finally be able to see and read about a family that looks like theirs.

Daddy, Daddy, Is It True?

Our brand, Colorful Family, produces developmental books and helps children learn about language, colors, and animals. When introduced to a family that feels familiar, children can learn new things in an environment that feels the same as their own home. In one of our books, Daddy, Daddy, Is It True?, we decided to make the main character a child who is asking a lot of questions to his daddy about what his dad says. By way of the child’s curiosity, children are able to learn about colors and animals through vibrant illustrations. The book offers an all-in-one approach: learning new things, seeing a same-sex family included, and visually appealing images. This book makes it fun for children to learn developmental skills.

Good Night Daddies

On the other hand, one of our upcoming books, Good Night Daddies, takes on a different part of the day: bedtime. We love spending time with our son and getting to read books to him right before he falls asleep. After a long day, nothing is more rewarding than cuddling up with a good book and having our son by our side. Bedtime usually creates some of the best memories for children and this book would make bedtime even more enjoyable. Our book breaks down a typical day in a child’s life: returning from daycare, enjoying dinner with family, and then bedtime. By allowing children to follow along a daily routine and including everyday tasks, they can start to form healthy habits. Through the eyes of a two dad family, children can also see how much they are loved and cared for every single day.

Children’s books for LGBTQ+ families

Daddy, Daddy, Is It True? and Good Night Daddies are just two of our books. There are many more coming soon! So whether you are looking for books depicting LGBTQ+ families or wanting to improve your child’s developmental skills, any one of our books would be a great addition to your collection.