Sarah & Ian Hoffman

Remember the old commercial when the chocolate and the peanut butter collide, and accidentally invent the peanut butter cup? Well, long ago, Sarah was writing for adults—for newspapers, magazines, and radio—about raising their gender-nonconforming son, Sam. At the same time, Ian—an architect by day—was writing and illustrating picture books for kids. One day, it dawned on them to work together, and write picture books about gender. That’s how the Jacob series was born. Just like a peanut butter cup.

"We set out to write a story about a boy who wants to wear a dress to school. There is a lot of leeway in our world for girls to express themselves all along the gender spectrum, from sparkly dresses to jeans and baseball caps. Our hope is for a world where boys are just as free to be who they are, and to express themselves however they’d like. So we hope, when kids read Jacob’s New Dress, that they will come to see a boy like Jacob as just another way of being a kid. And we hope that when kids like Jacob read Jacob’s New Dress, they will see that they are not alone. More broadly, we hope the book will help teach kids that it's okay to be different in any way. That message is aimed both at the kids who are different and the kids who aren't different."

Sarah (she/hers) and Ian (he/his) will speak from 6 - 7 PM. The remaining hour is reserved for sharing and support. You do not need to RSVP to join us in person, but if you prefer to attend via Zoom, please RSVP and we will email the link the evening before the event. This is not a library sponsored event. You'll find us in the meeting room to your left as you enter the library.