Remember in the ‘90s, how it wasn’t really very common to have separated parents? Notice how that is completely normal now? Well Jessica Skogstad is on a mission to let kids know that diverse families are no different to any other family and that the most important thing is to have a family that loves you.
Jessica’s children’s book, Enid and Her Two Mums, follows a young girl who notices that her family looks a little different to some other families around her. She goes on a journey and realises that families come in all shapes and sizes. After seeing the loving relationships that children have with their single parents and same-sex parents, Enid realises how lucky she is to have a family that loves her.
Having a niece with two mothers, Jessica wrote Enid and Her Two Mums to remind her niece (and all other children) that we live in a wonderful and diverse world. She also reads to her son every night, and strives to read books with important moral lessons and messages about values. Jessica is also a secondary English teacher and couldn’t help using her knowledge of poetry and rhyme to influence the writing style of Enid and Her Two Mums.
Being a first-time author, Jessica relied heavily on the support of family, friends and the local community – she was born and raised in Altona Meadows. After opening up a GoFundMe crowd-funding page to raise money to cover some of the costs in getting published, Jessica was able to turn her book into a paperback much sooner than she dreamed it was possible.
With the power of the internet, Jessica was able to find the perfect illustrator for Enid and Her Two Mums. After coming across Tara Reynolds, from Florida, Jessica’s story came to life through the bright watercolours of Tara’s paintings. Having hand-painted each page, Tara’s artwork is reminiscent of the innocence of all of our childhoods.
All Jessica was left to do was find a publisher! With Christmas approaching, she was determined to have her book available to make it under as many Christmas trees as possible. Jessica came across a local Yarraville publisher, Aly’s Books. After working with Aly, Jessica knew that this was the pathway she wanted for her story.
With a week to go before Christmas, Enid and Her Two Mums was available! Dozens of copies had been ordered in the lead up, with excited parents ensuring they secured a copy in time.
Enid and Her Two Mums is now available at The Younger Sun Bookshop in Yarraville, as well as online at www.EnidAndHer2Mums.com, on The Book Depository, Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Updates on the release of more books to the series are posted on facebook.com/ EnidAndHer2Mums
