Meet-the-Author Recording with Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman

Jacob's New Dress |

Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman introduce and share some of the backstory for creating Jacob's New Dress.

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Ian Hoffman: Hi, I'm Ian Hoffman.

Sarah Hoffman: And I'm Sarah Hoffman.

Ian Hoffman: Sarah and I wrote the book Jacob's New Dress. We'd like to tell you about how we came to write it, and then read you a few pages from the book.

Sarah Hoffman: Jacob's New Dress is about a boy who, you guessed it, wants to wear a dress. We were inspired to write the book because our son Sam was like Jacob when he was in preschool. Sam asked for his first pair of pink sneakers when he was two. Then he wanted a pink t-shirt, and soon a tutu. By the time he was Jacob's age, he loved tiaras and fairy wings and wearing the princess dress-up costume at school. Then one day, Sam told us he wanted to wear a dress for real. To school. Sam's interest in all things feminine took us by surprise at first, because it was so different from other boys and so different from what we expected. But Sam was so insistent and clear about his interests and desires, and we so loved him and wanted him to be happy that we couldn't help but accept him in all his sparkly glory. Of course we were worried for Sam's feelings and for his safety, knowing that other kids, and some adults, were not as accepting of boys like Sam as we were. It's okay in our culture for girls to wear skirts and earrings or jeans and baseball caps. But there isn't a lot of leeway for boys. We wanted to do something to make the world an easier place for boys and for all kids who are different.

Ian Hoffman: When Sam was three, Sarah started writing about gender-diversity in children for adult audiences in magazines and online and for the radio. At the same time, I was writing children's picture books on totally unrelated topics. So, it seemed natural to bring our work together by collaborating on a picture book about a gender-creative boy. Over time we met many other parents of gender-nonconforming kids. Talking with those families, we saw a lot of isolation and concern, and not a lot of access to resources for understanding what was happening or how to handle it. We envisioned Jacob's New Dress as a way to support families like ours and boys like Sam. Sarah and I have worked together for many years, since even before we were married and had children. Usually we work like this: One of us has an idea, writes a rough first draft, then passes it off to the other for comments, revisions, or rewriting. The manuscript passes back and forth until we're happy with it. In the case of Jacob's New Dress, the children's book critique group I belong to served as a third set of readers and editors throughout the process.

Sarah Hoffman: Our publisher, Albert Whitman & Company, paired us with illustrator Chris Case. Chris' work really brings Jacob to life in the most wonderful way. It's been a delight to work with him. Interestingly, Chris was the second illustrator our publisher approached. The first one decided not to work on the project because the subject made him uncomfortable. When we found that out, it made us appreciate Chris even more, not just for his drawing skill but for his open-mindedness and willingness to partner with us on making a difference in the world.

Ian Hoffman: And now, I'll read you the first few pages of Jacob's New Dress.

Jacob ran to join Emily in the dress-up corner. Emily slid into a shiny yellow dress while Jacob wiggled into a sparkly pink dress. They both reached for the crown, but Jacob got there first. "I'll be the princess," he said. Christopher frowned. "Jacob, why do you always wear the girl clothes? Put on the knight armor. That's what the boy wears." "Christopher stop telling us what to do!" said Emily. Ms. Wilson heard the hubbub. "What's going on, kids?" "Jacob is wearing girl clothes!" complained Christopher. "The dress-up corner is where we come to use our imaginations," Ms. Wilson said. "You can be a dinosaur, a princess, a farmer. Anything! Christopher, what do you want to be?" "A boy," Christopher scowled. Ms. Wilson smiled. "Jacob you try it. What new thing could you imagine being? A firefighter? A policeman?" "Ms. Wilson," Jacob said proudly, "I'm the princess."

This Meet-the-Author Recording with Sarah Hoffman and Ian Hoffman was exclusively created in May 2014 by TeachingBooks with thanks to Albert Whitman & Company.