Mari-chan and Roboto Bunny follow a fearless six-year-old who, after her father goes missing in an avalanche, sets out on an adventure with her magical stuffed bunny to rescue her father. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

When my daughter was a baby, a friend gave her a white bunny stuffie with a blue tummy that lights up and plays music when you press it. The bunny was her favorite stuffie. I used to imagine them going on magical adventures together. 

I rock climb as a hobby, not seriously like the dad in the book. But I thought, what if a rock climbing dad got trapped in an avalanche and it was up to his baby daughter and her stuffie to rescue him? I had to write the story to find out.

Mari-chan has to turn into a baby to get through the secret passage so she can find her father. This is a unique setup for a valuable lesson in bravery and perseverance. What were the morals you were trying to capture while creating your characters?

Six-year-olds tend to be very active. This is when a lot of kids start trying sports, like climbing, gymnastics, and swimming. Their confidence can become linked to that skill. But what if they can’t do gymnastics anymore? What if they lose the ability to do the thing they think makes them special? Would their confidence crumble? It’s important to realize that bravery isn’t just about physical ability. It’s a lesson that both the daughter and the dad have to learn.

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

The most important thing for me was to write a story that my daughter would want to read because I think reading is very important, especially for young children. My daughter complained that a lot of books I tried to get her to read were boring, so I made up my own story with things she likes: cute animals, adventure, songs, and riddles. By the way, parents who read this to their kids need to sing the songs. 

Education wasn’t my primary goal with Mari-chan and Roboto Bunny, but to tell an interesting story, I had to introduce words and concepts, like avalanche and ferry, which are new to many six-year-olds. Whenever my daughter asked what something meant, I would explain and then move on with the story. This approach helped integrate the educational aspects into the story naturally. 

I think it worked. I would read Mari-chan and Roboto Bunny to my daughter from my phone at bedtime, and she sometimes got so into the story that she took my phone and read it herself. She said it was the bestest story ever.

What is the next story that you’re writing, and when will it be published?

Mari-chan and Roboto Bunny was loosely based on Dante’s Inferno. I’m planning a sequel that will loosely follow Purgatorio (the next book in Dante’s The Divine Comedy), which I plan to publish before Christmas. I’d like to do a full trilogy, but I’ll see how it goes.
 
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