by It’s not that time of year yet, but this new children’s book about little Dino’s first Christmas will have you thinking of candy canes and jingle bells.
Christmas may be two months away, but two New West writers can’t wait to get people into the holiday spirit.
Steven Kothlow and his partner Bryce Raffle launched their new children’s book, The Littlest Dinosaur’s First Christmas, In September; and are preparing to do a mini book tour of the Lower Mainland, with a visit to New West’s Kinder Books on November 19th.
The book is the fourth in The smallest dinosaur sseasons that started amid the 2020 COVID-19 lock-down.
The smallest dinosaur (“no name”) has come a long way from being just an egg in the first book, befriending a Tyrannosaurus, Ty, and finding a home and family.
Now, in the fourth and most recent book, the smallest dinosaur is very excited about Christmas, Kotlow said.
“It’s the first time the little dino sees snow and learns about Christmas. and he thinks he and (his friend) Ty are going to get a lot of presents and all the presents are for themselves.”
But how does Ty take the news that Ty’s mother, Mama Tyrannosaur, plans to donate many of the gifts he thought were for him to children and families in need?
In the heavy story of the illustrations, the smallest dinosaur continues to understand that there is something more valuable than a gift with a bow — “Are you sad that we gave all these gifts? Mama Tyrannosaurus asks him. and he says, “No, because we have the greatest gift of all, which is family,” Cothlow read from the book.
A book about inclusion and respect
Writing a story about a little Dino who befriends a Tyrannosaurus that everyone thinks is scary. and adopted into a single-parent family, Kothlow and Raffle know they’ve tackled big topics like adoption, single-parent education, inclusion, and the importance of seeing everyone without judgment.
“Inclusion is a very important thing for both of us, especially these days, when there’s so much going on in the world and not everyone feels like they have a voice. But we all have a voice,” Kotlow said.
“And we all have the ability to speak up and talk about things that are uncomfortable to talk about. And that’s just a part of life,” she added.
“And if you put that in books, or even talk about it, in general, then it’s a good way to bring us closer together — we may look different, but really, we’re all pretty much the same. We are all human, and we all have feelings and emotions. But in the end, we are all one really.”
Kothlow and Raffle, who belong to the LGBT+ community, have always wanted to write a children’s book, but what provided the real impetus is a desire to be “the best role models” for their nieces and nephews.
And it just so happened that their oldest niece and nephew were fascinated by dinosaurs, as Kothlow and Raffle were as children, and still are. “I still find it very fascinating that they’ve been walking this earth for a long time,” Kotlow said.
And just as the idea of using the prehistoric animal as the protagonist came up, they had another nephew born around that time. “So it was also a bit of an inspiration [for starting the book with a dino baby as the star].”
In two years, the writing duo has already released four books in the series, including a comprehensive website with downloadable hummus (Ty’s favorite dish) recipes and Mama Tyrannosaurus Vegan Waffles.
What’s next for smol dino? Will the youngest ever grow up?
“I don’t know. Maybe he’ll grow up or maybe he’ll stay a kid forever.”
Meet Raffle and Kothlow at the book signing event at Kinder Books, 810 Quayside Dr., on Saturday, November 19, 12 to 3 p.m.
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