Madeline the Mermaid
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It was there, in the middle of a dinner party, that I realized my adopted, biracial daughter was going to experience things I could never relate to. Amidst the pasta and pleasantries, someone began making narrow-minded racial commentary. It was only after I burst into tears that everyone realized this individual's comments related to my child and my life. I resolved that night to help my daughter navigate the world as best as I could with the knowledge that she is exactly how she should be. The idea for Madeline the Mermaid occurred in the place where all the best ideas are born; in the shower! I wanted to write my daughter a story about loving the unique qualities in ourselves, and the idea of a pink mermaid navigating a black and white world poured in with the hot water. My sister and I worked on polishing the storyline and we recruited my very talented friend to illustrate the story. |
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Madeline meets a red crab who is happy being unique in the world. He then introduces her to other friends, including a green turtle, an aqua dolphin, and a purple seahorse. It is worth pointing out that after Madeline’s adventure, she returns to the very same black and white world. The only thing that has changed is how she feels about herself.
Though the inspiration for the book stemmed from personal experience, the appeal is not exclusive to racial differences. It is intentional that Madeline doesn’t meet other mermaids. Each character she encounters is unique in color, personality, shape and size. This book is a love letter to my daughter whose skin color is different from the rest of her family, but it is also a love letter to the insecure fourth grader with glasses and braces, the three year old in a wheelchair with Spina Bifida, the Kindergartner who speaks broken English and brings curry for school lunch, or to anyone else who feels that they are different in any way. Our objective with this book is to share goodness; to encourage people to find value in themselves so they can stand out and shine; to proudly proclaim just as Madeline does, “I add color to the world you see, I LOVE my way of being me”.
Though the inspiration for the book stemmed from personal experience, the appeal is not exclusive to racial differences. It is intentional that Madeline doesn’t meet other mermaids. Each character she encounters is unique in color, personality, shape and size. This book is a love letter to my daughter whose skin color is different from the rest of her family, but it is also a love letter to the insecure fourth grader with glasses and braces, the three year old in a wheelchair with Spina Bifida, the Kindergartner who speaks broken English and brings curry for school lunch, or to anyone else who feels that they are different in any way. Our objective with this book is to share goodness; to encourage people to find value in themselves so they can stand out and shine; to proudly proclaim just as Madeline does, “I add color to the world you see, I LOVE my way of being me”.