Kathy and Jill Bobula, creators of Wildberry Productions, talk to Open Book about their We Are Powerful children's book series. With titles including Eager Eddie: The World's Most Active Dude, Ticcing Thomas: The World's Fastest Arm Flapper and Forgetful Frankie: The World's Greatest Rock Skipper, these books are a playful and empowering means to inform children, parents and educators about common disorders and syndromes such ADHD, Tourette Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Open Book:
Tell us about Wildberry Productions and your We Are Powerful children's book series.
Kathy Bobula:
The We Are Powerful children’s book series was conceived and designed to introduce the lives of children affected with various disorders, syndromes and learning disabilities including Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Dyslexia and Depression. The We Are Powerful series was written to help children, parents, educators, health practitioners and the public in general develop a greater understanding of each condition in the hopes of becoming more educated, empathetic and compassionate toward those who are affected.
The books are designed and written for children who are from 4 to 12 years old. Each story has a main character who is affected by one of the aforementioned conditions. The main character describes the daily joys and challenges they experience in their life at home and in their school setting. Children affected by these disorders are gifted in many ways and in our eyes very powerful. The stories in this series are entertaining and funny, but most importantly educational and are as essential to home, school and community libraries as books on safety, sharing, family and friendships. There is absolutely no other series on the market like this one.
OB:
What made you decide to write and produce books about the mental and neurological conditions that can affect children?
KB:
We both have personally experienced the lack of support and resources for children, parents, educators and health practitioners with regards to these disorders. One in five children are affected by one or more of these conditions. Stigma and misinformation have created an environment full of shame, guilt and isolation for many who are affected. The We Are Powerful children’s book series tries to create a paradigm shift in how society views children’s mental and neurological conditions — the objective is to develop an environment conducive to understanding and compassion. Most people don’t think of children having, for example, depression or anxiety. We want to sensitize people to the realities of children’s health and how children can be misunderstood, bullied, shamed and ostracized. To us that is NOT acceptable.
OB:
How do you make these books — and their serious subject matter — appeal to your young audience?
KB:
The topics of our books are in themselves dry. We wanted a grass-roots approach to creating a paradigm shift for children touched by neurological and mental disorders. Helping children understand what these disorders are and creating a peer support was imperative to the success of shifting the stigma attached to children affected with these disorders. The use of humour and realistic scenarios are at the root of capturing our readers, retaining their attention and allowing them to identify themselves with the characters in our books. Choosing humour when working with children, who already feel in a vulnerable position, is crucial to diffusing the stigma children live with on a daily basis. Humour helps children engage and connect with our stories in a safe and accepting manner.
Each story has a main character who is affected by a condition. The main character explains in very simple terms how s/he is affected and what life is like at home and at school. The daily challenges the child experiences are described so that all children can understand. The simplicity of the stories allows children to quickly empathize with each individual situation. The illustration and flow of the story is appealing to children of all ages.
Parents appreciate our books in that they offer an opportunity to initiate a conversation on the disorder in a non-threatening manner between the parent and child. One parent described our series as a bridging tool for parents, teachers and health practitioners.
OB:
What are your professional backgrounds, and how do they inform your writing or equip you with the expertise to write the We Are Powerful series?
KB:
Jill Bobula studied psychology at McGill University. She is President of the Ottawa Chapter for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada. She also has a son who is affected by Tourette Syndrome Plus. I have a Bachelors of Science in Nursing and a Masters of Arts in Education. As a prior college professor, I blend academia with my experience as a consultant and my experience working in a prison, combined with my work as a Youth Probation officer. This unique combination provides me with a powerful view of humanity and the realities of life. It is this combination that helps me understand the intricacies and complexities our children face on a daily basis.
OB:
Tell us about the research process that goes into the writing of one of these books.
KB:
Both our academic and professional experiences, along with extensive research on each condition, is integrated in to each book. Wildberry Productions has worked with professionals to ensure the information contained in the series is accurate. For example, the book currently in production on dyslexia was a close collaboration between Wildberry Productions and the International Dyslexia Association. Found at the beginning of our books are endorsements by experts in the field.
Each book is then evaluated for colour, white space, amount of content, age appropriateness, readability level, positioning of content, etc. We have also done market research with children to assess the allure and receptiveness of the books.
OB:
Is there a book in the series that you are particularly proud of? Why?
KB:
We are proud of all our books. They are truly a fantastic series. Each time we hear how our books changed the life of a child, we feel tremendous gratitude to know we have helped in some fashion. Parents and teachers comment on the series and how well-designed and purposeful they are for children. Seeing children read our books with a smile and hearing them connect to the storyline reminds us of why we create these books.
OB:
Are there any children's books that inspired you or that you used as a model when you set out to write your own series on a serious topic?
KB:
No, we did not have a book that inspired us. There is no series like the We Are Powerful children’s book series on the market. Wildberry Productions is breaking new ground into an area virtually untouched. Our inspiration came from our own personal experiences and knowledge that there was very little available in terms of literary resources for children.
OB:
You have a beautiful and informative website at www.wildberryproductions.ca, with resources for educators, health-care providers and parents. How do the website and the books complement each other?
KB:
The website contains information regarding the different conditions explored in the We Are Powerful children’s book series. Wildberry Productions has tried to provide parents/guardians and educators with information they can use on a daily basis to help an affected child. Wildberry Production’s goal is to help parents, educators and children understand what the conditions are and to develop the skill set to make life easier at home and at school. The more information adults possess, the more empowered they are to help affected children. On our website, the information is geared towards adults which complements the information contained in the books which targets children. Our books are recommended by the Curriculum Services of Canada. Our website offers lesson plans for educators to use in conjunction with our We Are Powerful children’s book series.
OB:
How do you approach writing a book as a team? What is the experience of working together as sisters like?
KB:
We love working together. Our strengths compliment one another. The internet and long distance plans facilitate the process. We are also very dedicated to our vision of creating a paradigm shift and supporting children with these disorders.
OB:
Do you plan to expand the We Are Powerful series? What conditions will you focus on next?
KB:
The We Are Powerful children’s book series has been very successful and continues to be so. The last two books are currently in production. We will have to wait till the end of this series to tell you where we might go next. Certainly there have been numerous requests for us to write books on conditions not included in our series — Down Syndrome, Epilepsy and Dyspraxia to name a few.
We have played with the idea of t-shirts with the We Are Powerful logo; they have been requested so many times over the years. Creating t-shirts would remind everyone of the potential children are born with and how powerful children truly are. Stickers are another idea as a reminder, that would be great for parents, educators and health practitioners to use stickers with We Are Powerful, thus encouraging children to nurture their inner strength and take life’s challenges and succeed in their own rite, whatever that may be. We will have to give you an update next year!
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Katherine Bobula and her sister, Jill Bobula, are co-founders of Wildberry Productions. Together they have chosen to dedicate their efforts to support children, parents, educators and health practitioners touched or involved with children's and teenager's health and wellness issues. Find out more information or order the We Are Powerful series from their website.
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