A Spark…
From top left, clockwise: hope at a young age at the smithsonian “united we stand” exhibit, hope at the hall of president with John F. Kennedy in the background, hope at gettysburg battlefield, photo taken by hope at women’s rights suffragette exhibit in Washington DC, hope as a child with her dad with the united states capital building behind them, hope as an adult with the capital building behind her, a photo of the white house, hope and her husband at the liberty bell in philadelphia.
When I was little, my Ma and Dad made sure I saw as much of this country as possible. I’ve been to the monuments in D.C. more times than I can count, stood at the top of the Statue of Liberty, stepped inside slave houses, and read the Preamble aloud to a Capitol dome full of tourists. I’ve crossed state lines, dug my heels into every history class I could, and carried this deep-rooted curiosity with me ever since.
Patriotism, when I was growing up, was never about left or right. It was about understanding where we came from, questioning where we are, and believing in the possibility of something better. That belief is what led me to activism. It’s what led me to art. And it’s what led me to write The Mouse and the Garden.
Because history has shown us over and over again—small acts of resistance matter. One woman refusing to give up her bus seat, a handful of students walking into an all-white school, a single bar fight in New York City; Letters, petitions, and protests by women, people marching, speaking up, refusing to stay silent—even when they were outnumbered, even when they were told they couldn’t win—changed the world.
And that’s what The Mouse and the Garden is about. A creeping threat, growing in silence. A small voice speaking up. A group coming together to push back.
Maybe it’s “just” a children’s book. But I know firsthand that the things we learn young—the stories we absorb, the values we see in action—shape us.
So this is for the kids who will grow up to question, to stand up, to fight for what’s right. And for the adults who still believe in that, too.
The Mouse and the Garden is out now in paperback on Amazon. 🫶🏻🐭 https://amzn.to/3DF9s8L