By Jen Malia

April 1 is my book birthday! It’s time to celebrate all of the hard work that went into making my debut children’s picture book, TOO STICKY! SENSORY ISSUES WITH AUTISM, illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff, for Albert Whitman & Co. The story is about an autistic girl with sensory issues who has to overcome her fear of sticky hands to participate in a slime experiment at school. I’m especially excited to raise autism awareness and acceptance with the launch of Too Sticky! on April 1, the first day of Autism Awareness Month.

My own birthday is March 15 th . As readers of William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar know, you should “beware the Ides of March,” the day that Julius Caesar was assassinated. I won’t get into the gruesome details. This is a kidlit blog, after all. But it’s so fitting that I’m an English professor who was born on the Ides of March. One of the best birthday gifts I ever got on this day was my book offer from Albert Whitman for Too Sticky!

From book concept to final copy, Too Sticky! was two and a half years in the making. After I wrote and revised the manuscript with the help of my agent and editor, Joanne did her part, creating her whimsical illustrations that perfectly complemented the text.

And yet, to celebrate my book birthday and ignore what is going on around the world feels insincere at best. To say that my book launch is not what I was expecting would be a big understatement. I thought I’d go to my local bookstore to see Too Sticky! on the shelves. I thought I’d teach kids how to make slime at a live book event. I can tell you what I was not expecting—to have my book launch in the middle of a global pandemic when schools, libraries, and bookstores were closed.

Families around the world have no idea what is yet to come from the spread of COVID-19 in these unprecedented times. With people fighting for their lives, it seems silly to worry about the cancellation of book events and the loss of book sales. But I admit that I was disappointed to have to cancel my travel to New York City in April. I worked hard for this. I was looking forward to talking about Too Sticky! at the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) Conference. I also wanted to advocate for autistic kids and sign copies of Too Sticky! at public events around the world.

Luckily, my publisher, Albert Whitman, invited me to sign review copies of Too Sticky! at the American Library Association (ALA) Midwinter Conference back in January. I didn’t know then that that would be my only public book signing. But I had a great day signing books for librarians at the Albert Whitman booth.

I live with my husband and three kids in Virginia Beach. We’re doing the best we can to keep our autistic kids’ anxiety levels down, but we’re also being honest with them. We’re explaining difficult concepts like social distancing and teaching them why they need to work on better hygiene. They don’t fully understand why we can’t go to playgrounds anymore or why they can’t see their friends. But they’re adjusting to the new normal.

In Too Sticky!, my main character, Holly, is anxious about sticky hands. In the opening scene, her mom gives her a washcloth at breakfast so she can wipe the sticky syrup off of her hands. Later in the book, Holly’s teacher puts a bowl of water and soap on Holly’s desk during the slime experiment so Holly can wash her hands. I didn’t know when I wrote Too Sticky! how much we would need to encourage kids to clean their hands. But I’m so glad I included those scenes in my book!

I’m excited to celebrate my book launch for Too Sticky! with you, by sharing this blog post, and with my family, by staying safe in the comfort of our own home.

Jen Malia is Associate Professor of English at Norfolk State University. Based on her own and her daughter’s experiences living with autism and sensory issues, her debut picture book, TOO STICKY! SENSORY ISSUES WITH AUTISM, is the story of an autistic girl who has to overcome her fear of sticky hands to participate in her second-grade slime experiment. She has written autism-related essays for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Catapult, New York Magazine, Woman’s Day, and Glamour, among others.  She lives in Virginia Beach with her husband and three kids. 

Follow author Jen Malia:
Twitter: @jenmaliabooks
Website: www.JenMalia.com

Follow illustrator Joanne Lew-Vriethoff:
Twitter: @jlewvriethoff
Instagram: @joannelewvriethoff
Website: joannelewvriethoff.com