“All The Thanks,” a children’s picture book that teaches children to be thankful for what’s most important, was created by author Kori Peters and illustrator Katrina Puffer, two moms of young children living in an ever-changing digital world.
Set on the day after Christmas, the story focuses on the importance of being thankful for what you have, the love of family and friends, and not just the number of presents you receive. For each book sold, a book (ranging from baby board books to YA novels) will be donated to women and children’s shelters across the United States.
Kori, who is also the president of the East End’s Clamshell Foundation, and Katrina, tell us a little more about the book and the process of creating it.
How did you come up with the idea for “All the Thanks”?
Kori: It was the day after Christmas and I was looking around my house — it was filled with the remains of Christmas — and I wanted to remind my two sons to be thankful for all that they have. I started making up little rhymes such as “while the newness of presents can quickly run dry, remember the importance of thank you and why…” and after jotting a few of them down, “All the Thanks” was born.
Katrina: When Kori approached me about illustrating a book she had written in the aftermath of the holiday madness last year, I knew that if nothing else, it would give us something to show our children to help them remember what really matters in life — a sentiment we both felt strongly about, especially in this world of immediate gratification and excess. Little did we know that it would also prove to be a really productive lockdown project.
Talk a little about the importance of teaching kids to be thankful for what they have:
Kori: I think all parents struggle with this on a daily basis. You want to provide your kids with everything and more, but also want to teach them that the greatest of gifts is not something that can be ordered or unwrapped.
Tell us about the illustrations:
Katrina: The illustrations are inspired by the story obviously, with the cardinals being added lastly, which ironically has ended up being my favorite part. It’s been an ever evolving process to brainstorm and execute as I’ve never illustrated anything before and watercolor was certainly not my usual medium. I feel like I learned a lot and if there was one silver lining to quarantine it was certainly having the time to do it!
Tell us about the meaning of the red cardinals hidden in the pages of “All the Thanks”:
Kori: For us, red cardinals represent celebration, hope, health, and joy — all values we are trying to teach our children to be thankful for.
Do you plan to do a series of “All the Thanks” books?
Kori: Yes! We are working on another picture book that will hopefully debut in the fall of 2021.
The book is available on www.missingmanners.com, and Barnes and Noble.
