Creating a Rose the Owl Plush Stuffed Animal from the book "Why Me, Mama?"
Acorn Cottage Press's mission is to create authentic and empowering disability representation for children. My hope is to donate Rose the Owl plushies to disabled children.
Hoot Hoot! I'm Rose the Owl - want to be my friend? We OWL need friends.
Based on the triple award-winning children's book, Why Me Mama?, Rose the Owl is planning her birthday celebration. Instead of feeling excited however, Rose is worried that her friends will not want to come, because she is different. As Rose and her mother deliver invitations to her party, Rose discovers that the other animals have something that makes them different, too.
Designed to pair with the children's book and accompanying series, You can grab a signed, limited edition copy as an add-on or pledge for the book and plush set.
I created Acorn Cottage Press in 2022 with my first picture book project Why Me, Mama? which raised over 23K on Kickstarter. In August 2023, I launched OUCH! OOPS! OH NO! a set of three books sharing a single story three unique perspectives to foster Social Emotional Learning and reduce bullying, raising another 10k+. My mission is to provide authentic and empowering disability representation.
When our daughter Rose was born in July 2020, she wasn't able to eat and had a feeding tube for six months. We didn't know what was wrong so many specialists came to evaluate Rose and one noticed that she was unable to move her eyes laterally outward (like an Owl!). Rose received a diagnosis of Moebius Syndrome. When I wasn't able to find any representation of this rare condition - I wrote Why Me, Mama? a story about how everyone has something that makes them feel different - sometimes you see it and sometimes you don't & a bunch of wonderful Kickstarter backers raised the funds to bring it to life, helping to normalize disability as a part of everyday life, providing a foundation for acceptance and empathy for others and within themselves.
I am collaborating with Tracey Jo Taylor, an illustrator and toy designer, who is well known for her work with JellyCats, a company who creates the most amazingly soft, high quality plushes I have ever been able to cuddle (they didn't make them like this in the 80's I swear!)
An Illustration of Rose the Owl
Black & White Sketches
Cover of Why Me, Mama?
Designed to pair with the children's book and accompanying series, if you haven't read the book yet, you can grab a signed, limited edition copy as an add-on or as your pledge.
