On Writing the “Tino & Roo” Books for Children

Last week, I shared the messy, beautiful, and completely unplanned way Tino and Roo invaded my life here in Nicaragua. One was a tiny black-and-white stray who insisted on moving in with me, and the other, a resilient, joyful, three-legged pup who taught me what unconditional love feels like.

Redesigning my life to make space for Tino and Roo was one thing. Turning these two frenemies’ antics into a children’s book series? This has proven to be a greater challenge than I expected.

Today, I want to take you behind the scenes of how the first book in the series, Tino & Roo: The Jungle Adventures of a Fat Black & White Cat and a Three-Legged Pup, came to be.

It’s been a year-long journey of self-discovery, finding my voice through my pets, learning a new style of writing, and testing my writing on some of the toughest critics on the planet: the kids these books are intended for.

Writing for kids is entirely new territory.

As a former teacher, I know how to communicate with children in a classroom. But having no human children of my own led me to doubt I knew how to write for them. Writing a story that a child will want to read, and that a parent will be willing to read aloud for the hundredth time, is an art form I wasn’t sure I could master.

To get this right, I actually went back to school myself and took a class on writing children’s books. It was a humbling and incredibly eye-opening process. From there, I took my rough drafts and put them to the ultimate test: I read them to my friends’ kids.

Children are brutally honest. If a page is boring, they will let you know instantly. Their genuine reactions and feedback literally reshaped parts of this book. They are the reason the character of me in the books isn’t referred to as “mom” or “Christy” or “owner”.  The kids I read these drafts to unanimously voted that Tino and Roo refer to me as their “human”.

Then came the even more nerve-wracking part: asking their parents to read the drafts. But to my visible relief, they loved them. They offered helpful feedback too, and I credit them for refining the language, so their kids can both understand the stories easily. The parents’ feedback helped create gentle teaching moments for children to learn new words and understand unfamiliar situations.

During one editing session, a parent read through the stories and told me, “This series needs to be in children’s hospitals.”

I can’t even begin to tell you how much that touched me. It is, without a doubt, the ultimate dream for where I want these books to land. In the hands of kids who feel better when they read these stories.

 A Fat Cat and a Three-Legged Dog and Me

While writing these stories was incredibly fun, it was also self-reflective. Most writers will understand the inner journey writing takes us on. Even when writing children’s books.

As I drafted each book, recreating the humorous interactions between my pets, I realized I wasn’t just writing about Tino and Roo.  I was portraying parts of myself. Each of my pets embodies my own growing character, including all my flaws, defenses, and weaknesses. It was a path in the process I didn’t expect to discover, but there it is.

One evening, editing Book 3, I looked at the page and thought, “Ohhhhh. I’m just like my cat Tino.”

In the books, just like in real life, Tino is territorial, jealous, and unapologetically selfish. She wants what she wants, whether it’s the butter off my morning toast or the cushiest cushion in the house. But she’s also deeply loyal, surprisingly tolerant, and slowly, very slowly sometimes, open to change.

Roo, on the other hand, represents the qualities we all strive for. She is sweet, playful, capable, and completely unencumbered by the seeming limitations of her tri-pawed life. When Roo races across the sandy Nicaraguan beach, she has a faster-than-the-pack, childlike joy. She doesn’t know she’s one leg down; she’s just happy to be running outside, kicking up sand and catching every crab she can.

Writing their characters on the page forced me to look at my own territorial “Tino” tendencies and insecurities, while reminding me to embrace Roo’s capacity for unbound joy and love.

What I Hope You (and Your Kids) Take Away

I have four books planned for the Tino & Roo series. While Book One is officially heading to print, Books Two, Three, and Four are already in the works, currently being brought to life by the very talented illustrator, Bart, who was my roommate for a few years here in Nicaragua.

My biggest hope is that these humorous and heartwarming stories entertain and inspire children far beyond our jungle-meets-beach routine. I want kids to laugh out loud at Tino’s fat belly warming in the sunshine on the porch. I want them to be deeply moved by Roo’s sweet, unstoppable spirit.

Ultimately, I hope these two characters leave readers with two simple, beautiful lessons:

 – Tino reminds us that we can have almost everything we want in this life, but we might have to learn how to share sometimes.

 – Roo reminds us that we can do absolutely anything, and that there is limitless, beautiful joy to be found in almost every single day.

The Big Launch: How You Can Support

I am officially launching Book One this Friday, on September 25th, which happens to be the day before my birthday! I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

If you’ve enjoyed my writing over the years, if you love animals, or if you have children (or nieces, nephews, or neighbors with kids who love animal adventures), I would be so incredibly grateful for your support.

When launch day arrives, I’ll be sending out another update with the direct purchase link.

Here is how you can help make this launch a success:

1. Keep an eye on your inbox or texts: I’ll send the link directly to you on September 25th.

2. Buy a copy (or two!): Grab a copy for a child in your life, or keep one on your coffee table for when little ones visit.

3. Share the love: When you see my posts on Facebook or Instagram, please share them with your own friends and family. A simple share goes a long way for an independent author.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being part of this wild, Nicaraguan creative journey with me, and of course, with Tino, and Roo.

~ Christy

If you enjoy my stories, feel free to buy me a coffee.

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