Humans Are Awesome! is a lively and colorful children’s book that sets out to explain the difference between human abilities and artificial intelligence in a way that feels both playful and empowering. What was the inspiration for your story?

You know that moment when your kid asks Alexa if she has feelings, and you realize you have NO idea how to explain AI to a six-year-old? That was us. We were watching our kids interact with technology like it was magic – or worse, like it was human – and we thought, ‘Someone needs to explain this stuff before an entire generation grows up thinking Siri is their best friend.’ Cal knows AI inside and out, and I know how kids’ brains work. It was like peanut butter meeting chocolate – we HAD to make this book happen.

What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?

The biggest thing? We wanted kids to know that THEY’RE the boss, not the iPad. You know how kids can get totally zombified by screens? We’ve all seen it – that glazed look when they’ve been watching YouTube for three hours straight. We wanted to snap them out of it and remind them that technology is supposed to work FOR them, not the other way around. Plus, we needed to tackle the scary stuff – like not telling ChatGPT where you live – without making kids paranoid about every piece of technology. It’s like teaching them about fire safety without making them afraid of birthday candles.

I loved the activities that were incorporated into this story, giving the lesson an interactive quality that can last beyond the time it takes to read the story. How did you come up with the activities? Also, I would love to see printable resources for teachers and parents that they could use to help reinforce these lessons. Is this something you have considered?

Honestly? We tested everything on our youngest daughter. She was our guinea pig – poor kid! We’d come up with an activity and she’d either be totally into it or give us that look that says ‘this is lame, Mom.’ Kids are brutal critics, which is exactly what we needed. The activities that made it into the book are the ones that got her excited enough to drag her siblings into trying them too.

And YES on the printable resources! Teachers have been asking for them since day one. We kept this first edition short because, let’s face it, kids’ attention spans aren’t getting any longer. But we’re already working on downloadable worksheets, discussion guides, and even some games that parents and teachers can use. Should be ready by the holidays!

Is this the first book in the series? If so, when is the next book coming out, and what can your fans expect in the next story?

“The Try Again Kid” is coming out in late November, and honestly? This one’s personal. We watched so many kids during the pandemic just… give up when things got hard. They’d try something once, fail, and decide they’re ‘just not good at it.’ Meanwhile, they’ll die 50 times in a video game and keep going! So we thought – how do we transfer that video game resilience to real life?

This next book is all about failing spectacularly and getting back up. Think of it as the antidote to participation trophy culture. We’re teaching kids that messing up isn’t just okay – it’s NECESSARY. And yeah, we might have snuck in some lessons about growth mindset and perseverance, but mostly it’s about making failure fun instead of terrifying.

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