CBC Diversity
Month
Contributed by Natasha Friend
Every book has a conception story. Mine begins with the shameless binge-watching of an MTV reality series called “Generation Cryo.” Over the course of six episodes, the show follows 17-year-old Breeanna, daughter of a lesbian couple who was conceived via sperm donation, on a search for her genetic half-siblings. Thanks to the Donor Sibling Registry, Bree connects with Jonah and Hilit and Jayme and Jesse and Paige and Molly and Will, and ultimately brings everyone together to track down their biological father.
Prior to watching the show, I had only a cursory understanding of sperm donation and its effects on families. I understood the science, but I knew nothing of the emotional fallout—of how angry and hurt and confused some donor-conceived children could grow up to be, or how fraught the relationships with the non-biological parents who were raising them could become. I was fascinated by the idea of a new “insta-family.” Unlike children conceived via sperm donation prior to the 1990’s, today’s generation of donor-conceived kids have access to Internet search engines, registry websites, social media, and video chat technology, all of which allow them to connect with their genetic half-siblings, and even with their sperm donor, in a mind-blowingly short amount of time.
As a 21st century mom, psychology major, and YA author, how could I not write a book about this?
Contributed by Audrey Penn
The most important thing I can do as an author of children’s books is offer stories that open communication between child and parent. In my Kissing Hand series, it is Mrs. Raccoon who helps Chester through his many issues and difficulties beginning with separation anxiety. Other books in the series deal with new siblings, moving, bullying, dying, fear of speaking in front of others and wanting to return home during a sleep over. These are issues all children face, but with the help of books and characters like Chester Raccoon, and the caretakers and teachers who bring them to life, children can face issues armed with understanding and a sense of self.
When writing, I often think about the brilliant diversity of color and sound, shape and size, and speed and agility that is present in the animal kingdom. Most people embrace these amazing differences with open minds and without prejudice. It is because we all too often close our minds to the beautiful diversity in people that I stay within the animal kingdom when writing my children’s books.
