A New Book Answers the Age Old Question About Where the Socks Go
It’s a question every adult on the planet has probably asked at least once in their lifetime while taking their clothes out of the dryer. “Where do the socks go?” Well, now two sisters and a close friend are providing answers in a new children’s book called Where the Socks Go.
In a recent interview, Nicole Green McCalla and Claudine Barbot told us how they met and teamed up with Claudine’s sister Jocelyne Barbot to pen the tome. It started with a shared background in education. “How we met is all entwined in our passion and careers,” recounted Claudine. “Nicole and I met while teaching together in an elementary school and had an instant connection. Jocelyne and I are sisters and share a passion for storytelling. She and Nicole met and became immediate friends at a family gathering. One day, all three of us spoke about our passion for telling stories and our love for different genres and some weeks later, we found ourselves fully enthralled in the act of penning a fantasy novel. From that point, we have wanted to create; leading us to various completed projects including Where the Socks Go.”
As for why they decided to tell the story of missing footwear, the authors said, “We were inspired to write this book one day while discussing laundry over the phone. We were laughing and joking about sock pairs and not being able to locate their matching sock. Suddenly, we had the idea to write a children’s book about missing socks and where they go. And voila, just like that Where the Socks Go was born.”
Beyond a good idea, the three collaborators already had a bit of experience with young people. They explained, “Our work as teachers helped influence our writing by having a depth of knowledge regarding children’s literature and also gaining an idea of what children enjoy and love to read.”
They also wanted to expand young reader’s visions by having the story unfold on a global scale. “The aspect of inclusion with various cultures was significant and essential for our book,” noted the writers. “We wanted to display many places in the world and show how missing socks is something that occurs globally. We wanted to paint the picture and provide exposure to different people and places to children; and also show how we are more alike than different.”
Of course, any children’s book needs eye-catching illustrations. “We wanted the book to be vibrant and whimsical, however the most important aspect to us was that the book encompass a variety of cultures,” they acknowledged. “We wanted to ensure that the premise of the story would translate worldwide, because the scenario of the missing socks really does exist all over the world. Once we had our ideas in order, we collaborated with the illustrator to discuss our vision for each scenario.”
The book is targeted to children ages three to twelve and their families but the authors feel it has a broader scope since, as we’ve all experienced, socks can go missing at any age.”
While there may be lessons to be learned from the missing socks, more than anything the writers hope to entertain. They admitted, “Honestly, the biggest premise of Where the Socks Go is to put the fun back in reading. This book is engaging, the socks are naughty, the children are trying to solve a mystery and their parents… well, they are just being parents.
And if they can get kids to put down their devices for a bit, that’s another big win. “We want to reignite imagination,” they revealed. “Especially in this age of technology, imagination is something that many children do not use often or at all, because of the iPads, tablets, computers, other forms of instant gratification. We are hoping to rekindle the relationship between youngster and imagination and in the same breath, spark critical thinking and problem solving skills. Lastly, we also hope children understand that although we are different and we may live in different parts of the world, we still can have the same issues such as missing socks.”
Nicole, Claudine and Jocelyne hopes the socks’ journey doesn’t end with the book, too. “Our biggest hope is to have the book made into a full feature animation, followed by an animated series, apps, video games, and more,” they disclosed. “The sky is the limit.”
It seems like these socks are going to be on the go for a long time to come.
