Pittsburg resident Larena Baldazo, has released her first children’s book, We Are Twins.
The book release was announced last week by the Railroad Book Depot in the City of Pittsburg where Baldazo emphasizes the importance of acknowledging differences while celebrating similarities, particularly among children with unique learning styles and special needs. She notes that her daughter inspires her and its her innocence that kids don’t see differences, but adults do.
According to Baldazo, she came up with the idea when her second child wasn’t meeting her milestones as a baby and she knew something was going on, however, her doctor told her she had new mom anxiety.
“When she should have been talking, her speech was really delayed. I was advised to get her hearing checked and learned she was 100% deaf in one ear. Hearing loss that not even a hearing aid could help,” explained Baldazo. “I eventually learned she had a learning disability and needed extra support at school (such as an IEP and 504 plan). It was an uphill battle and to be honest, I felt alone. As Liana grew and met milestones in her own timing, when she felt a connection with someone, she’d say “we are twins!” You could both be enjoying the same lunch, or be wearing the same color. I began noticing that even with the uphill battle I experienced at first, she is still a little girl who loves ice cream, Disney, and Halloween. I jotted down a little story on my phone one night, I couldn’t sleep, and it lived there for about 3 years. I had looked into the publishing process and it was a lot!”
She used her background in journalism (Los Medanos College & John F. Kennedy University) and marketing to help guide her during the process.
“Let’s remove the 3 years of procrastination. The total time frame from editing this story, finding an illustrator and printer, getting the sample and approving it, then getting my books – 7 months,” shared Baldazo noting the graphics was the holdup. “There just seemed to be too many options online and I didn’t want to get scammed! I envisioned a particular look, so I looked up some children’s book Facebook groups and found one that was for both authors and illustrators — I joined that one. I posted an example of what I was looking for and received a ton of examples and links, so I had to do my homework and picked one that was just right.”
She also explained the process.
“I really appreciated breaking down the story and creating some descriptions on what could be happening there and also relied on the designer to add her touch and creativity — I trusted it,” stated Baldazo. “I also drove around Pittsburg and sent her some photos I had taken, to include as some of the backgrounds. The front of my home is in this story, Small World Park, Buchanan Park and a mashup of the landscape downtown. One of our pets has his own cameo. Is that what it’s called?”.
She hopes the book will help launch conversations around special needs.
“My goal is for this story to serve as a conversation starter about special needs, the various learning styles/needs, and the need for medical devices. I feel that division is created when a lack of understanding is involved. Ask questions. Share. And talk. Next, this story first displays how the two friends are so different, then it goes into all the likes, hobbies and interests they share,” said Baldazo. “I want to show kids that our power lives in our individuality. Own it. We are not all alike, and that’s beautiful. We all have our own weaknesses and strengths.”
She also said the book speaks to adults as well noting everyone can be friends even though we may be different, think differently or even be on different political sides.
“One of the themes in this book is acceptance,” stated Baldazo. “While our differences make us unique and our shared interests create long-lasting friendships — accepting people for who they are is what makes them stick around.”
As of now, Baldazo doesn’t have plans for a second book, but she admits when she has another idea, she would create another book.
Last week, she was introduced by the Railroad Book Depot who shared her debut book:
Her debut book, “We Are Twins,” emphasizes the importance of acknowledging differences while celebrating similarities, particularly among children with unique learning styles and special needs. This simple yet powerful story conveys a crucial message for young readers, aiming to raise awareness of everyone’s needs and promote inclusivity. The book serves as a tool to start important conversations and lead with intentionality.
We Are Twins focuses on two friends, Luli and Valentina, who explore the idea that it is our differences that make us special, and our similarities are what spark long-lasting friendships.
At first glance, the girls appear to be nearly complete opposites. How can they be twins? Do people have to be exactly alike to become and stay friends? Find out in this heartwarming tale!
With vibrant characters and a story that will tug at your heartstrings, this book is sure to become a must-read in every home.
Let’s show Larena Baldazo some love and support as she embarks on this amazing journey! Trust us – this is a story you won’t want to miss!
To purchase the book: Click here (as of posting March 26, a total of 51 books are available)
