Ten Tiny Toes: the board book

The board book version of Ten Tiny Toes is slowly coming to life. My editor at Little, Brown asked if I'd like to approve the final version before it goes to press.

I said no, but send it anyway because it will make me smile.

It did.

For context, a board book is a smaller and sturdier version of a picture book. Think Very Hungry Caterpillar. A baby can chew on it without anyone freaking out.

Ten Tiny Toes was published in 2012 as a picture book. It was my second book, and I was more excited about it than my first book, because, I figured, anyone can get lucky and write one book. You gotta have at least two books to call yourself an author.

When I got the email from my agent that she'd sold Ten Tiny Toes, it was the first time I felt like, okay, maybe I'm actually going to be a children's author after all.

It was a big deal that Marc Brown illustrated it.

When asked in an interview about the inspiration for Ten Tiny Toes, he said:

"Well, I can't speak for Todd, although I do know that he has kids. And from what I can tell, he's a really good dad, because his feeling about babies and children and parenting comes through in such an honest and heartwarming way. I read it to a group of teachers out on the West Coast, and people were sobbing in the audience when I read it, they were so moved."

It was a big deal that I could literally walk into any Barnes & Noble in the country and see it.

But mostly it's meaningful to me because it's about Samuel and Ethan, and how much I loved them as babies, and how much I loved watching them grow up, and how much I will love them forever. It's my love letter to them, in a time capsule.

I'm anxious to see it as a board book, and I hope lots of babies chew on it.