What is this story?
What is the goal of “Take that, Hurricane?”
Coming into the new year, I’ve been reflecting. What is my audience? Who am I trying to reach? What is my goal? I’ve really had to think about it, because as a business, I need to reach my audience. I can’t just chase every person who wanders past. I need to reach the people who need this story.
So who needs this story?
Children
Obviously, a picture book is made for kids. This may be redundant, but I’ve put in a lot of effort to make this book as fun and exciting as possible. It’s not just the bright colors and fun characters. Super Tess and Sidekick Nick have become very popular in our school visits, and have inspired fun conversations with creative kids of all ages. They giggle at Tessa’s shenanigans, and cheer when Sidekick Nick hooks a teddy bear out of a muddy pond. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the children is one of my greatest joys.
Something I didn’t expect was the importance of being a creator, especially with older kids. They may not read picture books, but they do write comic books, or read them, or draw characters of their own, and seeing someone else’s work in print is so exciting. We talk about how I created the character, and how Sidekick Nick was once an evil genius… It’s so much fun!
I think creativity fosters creativity. The possibility of art and how it can turn into something big and beautiful is intoxicating for a creative kid. Even if Superheroes aren’t their thing, I would encourage any parent to come and visit an author event. You never know what it might inspire.
Teachers
Some of my best customers are teachers. At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about that. Imposter syndrome is strong when you’re self-publishing and don’t see the value in your own work. But I’ve seen teachers’ eyes light up when they realize this could be used in their classroom.
Even though “Take that, Hurricane” is made for fun, it is also incredibly educational. First, it follows the path of hurricane recovery. There are a lot of resources for hurricane preparation, and even ones about hurricanes themselves and how destructive they can be. “Take that, Hurricane” is unique in that it focused entirely on the recovery and rebuilding period.
After all, it isn’t just the wind and water damage that causes problems during and after a major storm. There’s fallen trees, damaged power lines, mold and sheetrock damage, and the general loss of the routine that can be overwhelming. “Take that, Hurricane” covers these various processes in passing and focuses on the positive, spotlighting the tree removal, electrical, and volunteer groups that make hurricane recovery possible. I wanted this story to be a love letter for all the people who make hurricanes much less scary, and this makes it a useful tool for teachers wanting to highlight this aspect to their classroom.
I also wanted this story to be a positive depiction of community. Though Super Tess is a superhero, giving her a cool set of skills and a sense of power most kids don’t have, she’s also just one person, and unable to do everything on her own. Super Tess needs the people around her to help in her superhero endeavors, from her good friend Sidekick Nick to the adults around her, like her neighbors, the volunteers, and the workers who repay kindness with kindness. This story encourages positive cooperation and shows the consequences of taking on too much by yourself. Sometimes it’s good to ask for help, even if you’re a superhero!
Parents and Grandparents
This one is a bit more personal. There are some children who really struggle with scary subjects like natural disasters and loss. Though this is a positive story, it does touch on darker themes, like loss of personal items and even homes. The primary vehicle for this story is little Isabelle.
Isabelle asks Super Tess to find Teddy for her after a flood washed her home away. Super Tess searches for the bear, but is unable to find it, and this failure fuels her desire to help others. Though Teddy is found in the end by Sidekick Nick, in many cases those losses are permanent. It can be calming to see a happy ending when kids are struggling with hurricane anxiety.
It’s also just fun. Reading this book out loud is a fun experience, with Tessa’s excitement and the soft, repetitive elements in the text. The colors are bright and enjoyable, and there are little treasures hidden in the pictures, waiting to be discovered.
I don’t know, though. Am I going the right direction? I guess this year will be the test. We’ll be planning new library events for the new year, so stay tuned!
