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My first book was a strength training book, Inside the Mind of an Iron Icon, that I wrote with my good friend, Stuart McRobert. This beautifully illustrated children's picture book—many thanks to Jacob Below for bringing my words to life—is obviously much different. It's inspired by my daughter, Ruby, and the challenges she faced with developmental delays, but it's not entirely her story. It's my take on the emotional journey of every child and family who finds themselves in a similar situation.
I guess I have two reasons for being passionate enough about this little story to go so far as to run a Kickstarter campaign to raise enough money to publish it. Primarily, I hope to create an atmosphere of acceptance and belonging for all children and their parents. Whatever the reality is, mild delays or more extensive, it's going to be okay because of that unbreakable parent/child bond of love.
I'm also doing it as a legacy to Roo, as we affectionately called her, and her fighting spirit. She woke up happy and grateful to be alive every day. The smallest things we all take for granted were fascinating to her. I once saw her stop dead in her tracks in the middle of the sidewalk and bend over to inspect a tiny bug barely bigger than a speck of dust she'd somehow noticed while running along. When I took the time to marvel with her, this little bug really was pretty amazing.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
We are all different and we all learn differently and at different speeds. Roo, or Ruby, is no exception, although it does concern her parents when she can’t do the things they think she should be able to do when they think she should be able to do them: like walk, talk, eat solid foods, read, ride a bike and so on. But, when it comes down to the crunch, Roo does eventually make up her mind to do all of these things: in her own time and at her own pace. And, when it’s time to start school, she’s as ready as the other children.
Chuck Miller’s picture book story, Will Little Roo Ever…?, is as much a story for young readers as it is for parents. We must understand and appreciate everyone’s differences and how we learn. It’s difficult for parents to accept that their child is learning things later than other children. However, in the end, children will learn what they need to know at their own pace. The book is colorfully illustrated and the plot leads the reader through Roo’s life from birth until her first day of school. It presents the many steps of a toddler and how parents do tend to worry, sometimes too much. This adds a little humor as Roo always learns, suddenly and unexpectedly, only for the parents to somehow wish for the way things were before, if only for a moment. A beautifully told story full of love and compassion.
