Orange Puffin Playgrounds Starts March With New Picture Book Release

ATLANTA, GA, UNITED STATES, March 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A new children's book, Gabriel's Tooth Fairy Tale, is flipping the script and modernizing the myth and ethos of the Tooth Fairy with a neurodivergent main character. Just like the titular Gabriel, the story behind the book and the architecture of the book has an atypical flavor. It’s a fairy book that unapologetically features a boy character. The Tooth Fairy moves through the sky with both wings and a jetpack. And it cleverly addresses the age- old question: “What does the Tooth Fairy do with all the baby teeth?” in a new and surprising way that relates back to Gabriel’s bright mind. When Gabriel earns an opportunity to meet the tooth fairy and visit her world, it is because of - and not despite - his uniqueness.

The work is a collaboration between two friends who connected through their work with Asheville's TEDx conference and ended up as co-writers. Sharon Leya and Jennifer Saylor were determined to achieve the re-telling of the Fairy Tales for a modern childhood. It is illustrated by a gifted Ukrainian illustrator (Ivan Sulima) who has on occasion, had to set aside his work to duck into a bomb shelter.

Books that feature neurodivergent heroes are still in an emergent space, but typically follow a theme of hardship and triumph. In Gabriel's case, his atypical mind grants him hyper-focus on fixing, tinkering, and all things related to 'outer space,' enabling him to assist a stranded Tooth Fairy in returning home. A quote from Jeffrey Kluger, a fellow space enthusiast and author of the national bestseller, Apollo 13, graces the back cover: “This is precisely the story I would have listened to and thought about when I was a small boy - contemplating the very same question Gabriel does. This is a lovely tale." A cross between an action/adventure picture book, a traditional fairy tale and a dreamy modern Nutcracker, nothing is typical about Gabriel's Tooth Fairy Tale. And that's exactly the point.

Sharon Leya
Orange Puffin Playgrounds
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