By Kirsten Currie and Shannon Shute
May we seek to understand. May we celebrate differences. May we help build positive community. Not only are these central tenets to our work as parents and educators, but they have become the foundation of our new “webugs” book series.
Webugs utilizes bugs as a conduit to encourage children to explore and celebrate the individual differences inherent in our own communities. This series aims to provide critical, supportive messaging about topics that readily impact our youth in the world today, such as homelessness, disability (e.g. anxiety, ADHD), gender identity, addiction, and stressors within a family system. Our bugs help us explore what it means to act with integrity, listen to your inner voice, and appreciate others by understanding strengths and areas for growth.
As educators in the Boston area and mothers to young children, we aspire to have our books reflect the important lessons we teach in our classrooms, offices, and homes. We also want our students who are working through some of these critical issues to feel seen and understood through the content of the stories.
Our first webugs installation is Making Changes on the Fly, which transports children to a garden full of friendly bugs who welcome a fly that has fallen into unknown territory after an unexpected incident. The fly quickly learns that although they are different from his fellow flying insects, the garden bugs are full of compassion, support, and kindness. Their own unique approaches to helping him ultimately encourage the fly to change his perspective and embrace the gift of friendship.
This first book in our series lays the groundwork for future books that will each connect an individual bug with a critical issue, such as a slug and addiction or a ladybug and gender identity. All webugs books will end with discussion questions that reinforce the main themes and ask children to extend their thinking to their own lives.
In Making Changes on the Fly, for instance, readers are asked to identify how they believe the garden bugs helped the fly and then consider how they can help another kid who is feeling worried or scared about being in a new place.
In our daily work as mothers, a teacher (Kirsten), and a school psychologist (Shannon), we work hard to have our students and children recognize the depth of their own value, while simultaneously appreciating what makes others different and equally valuable. In our educational spaces and in our homes, we seek out books and stories that aim to do the same.
As enthusiasts for all creative pursuits, we began to craft a dream of writing a children’s book that contributes to such critical messaging. We could not possibly be more thrilled to share our bugs that we’ve created to be purveyors of kindness and understanding. Thanks in advance for helping webugs create a buzz about seeking to understand, celebrating differences, and building positive community!
Please consider giving us a follow on Instagram (@webugsbooks), checking out our website (webugsbooks.com), and purchasing our book from Blue Balloon Books.
Kirsten Currie is a full-time mother and educator of fifth-grade students. Full of creativity, Kirsten loves any project that unites her passions for literacy and art. As an author and the illustrator of Making Changes on the Fly, she has relished the opportunity to create a book that whimsically transports children to a place where kindness toward and care for one another are paramount. Kirsten believes that everyone is worthy of experiencing joy.
Shannon Shute is a full-time mother and school psychologist. She has cherished the opportunity to apply her love of writing and creative pursuits to publishing a children’s book, Making Changes on the Fly. Shannon believes that every child deserves to be understood and appreciated for who they are and who they want to be.
