Today we would like to introduce you to Jen Teschendorf. Jen thank you for sharing your story with us!
Tell us all about you and what inspired you to write Say What Little Duck?? I grew up in Minneapolis, and then moved to Montana for college. I went for Communication Studies and Media Arts so after I graduated I worked in the film industry for a bit. I moved back to the Twin Cities and met my husband, and kind of fell into the line of work I’m in now, which is the loyalty and incentive industry. This book was actually my Covid project. During the early days of Covid, I (like many others) had a lot of anxiety and free time. I have always channeled my anxiety into creative outlets. I was chatting with a good friend from college, and her and I just started playing around with the idea of writing and illustrating a children’s book. After we started, we realized it was actually kind of good so we thought it would be a fun project to pursue. Without the pandemic, I don’t know that this book would have been brought to life!
Tell us about the story of Say What Little Duck? What can parents/kids expect? It’s a fun story about a little duck who only says “Quack!”. The momma duck tries to get her little one to use his words, and so she uses silly puns throughout the story to try and “quack” him up. The book is written in rhyme and takes 3 minutes to read. This was intentional, as I am a mom of a 3 year old and she always asks for “one more book” at bedtime. This is the perfect bedtime story for kiddos. It is great for the earliest of book lovers to about 6 or 7 (early readers).
What do you love about the Twin Cities? Why is this a great community for parents to enjoy Say What Little Duck?? The Twin Cities is such a great place to raise a family. There is always something going on no matter what the season. Truly what I love most about the Twin Cities are the people. I think there is something to be said about growing up in an area where being friendly and kind are traits the community is known for. I think that’s why my book does well here! It’s a book that will tug on parents hearts, especially new parents.
What is the best way for the Minnesota Parent community to support your business? Go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of my book! If it’s not there, request it! If you want to check it out, but new books aren’t in the budget – go to your local library and request a copy. I think above all else though, truly the best way to support my book – is to help me spread the word! Being an independent author can be intimidating, especially going up against giants in the literary community. When someone buys my book, it’s a huge deal to me and honestly has been the fuel to keep me going. The people who reach out crying, saying my book inspired them to write their own book – or the people who reach out and tell me how my book is their kiddos favorite melts my heart.
What’s been your greatest joy in seeing your book be published and on bookshelves? I sometimes feel like “The Little Engine That Could” with my book. It felt impossible in the beginning. It felt like there was too much I didn’t know or that there was too much work ahead of me, so each small milestone I hit was (and is) a huge victory for me. I was told you’ll never get on the shelves at Barnes and Noble, and now I’m in most of the Twin Cities locations, Montana, and some in Washington as well. I was told it was near impossible to self-publish and then get picked up by a traditional publisher, and then a month after my book launched it happened. For me the joy has been watching my little book take flight, and in turn bring joy to a bunch of little kiddos who are now reading my book!
How does your book inspire kids and parents? The really cool thing about my book, is that it was recently released in a dyslexic inclusive font!! With that, my hope is that my book inspires others to use this inclusive font. Learning about dyslexia has been absolutely fascinating. I’m not an expert by any means BUT what I’ve learned is that close to 20% of people have dyslexia. If something as simple as a font choice can help make reading easier for 20% of our population, we should start using these fonts more frequently! For authors, teachers, restaurant owners (menus!) or anyone really who puts out work in print, I encourage them to explore fonts that are better for people with dyslexia and to start using them more often! My book is printed in Dyslexie, which is a font that was created by someone with dyslexia for someone with dyslexia. I also know there is a font called OpenDyslexic that I use as well. The best part about these dyslexic fonts, is that anyone can enjoy them whether they have dyslexia or not.
Tell us about you! Your family, why you love being a parent. What brings you joy? The best thing about me is my family!! My husband and I have been together almost 10 years, married for 5! Our daughter is 3 and brings us so much joy. The day I became her mom, I became the best version of myself. The first few months of being a new mom are ROUGH, but you kind of work through those months with your baby – both of you just taking it one day at a time, and then you blink and all of a sudden you are wrapped around a 3 year old’s finger, singing along to Cocomelon, and staying up late to talk about how awesome she is with your husband. We also have a Springer Spaniel named Rudy, or as our daughter calls him – Rutchy Boy.
Tell us about your favorite places to go with your kids? Restaurants, road trips, parks etc. My daughter LOVES the library. We go almost every week and she never wants to leave. She’s only 3, but they have a giant light brite board, legos, puzzles, and books. I can’t think of a better place for a young kiddo to fall in love with. One of our favorite local restaurants is Rascals Bar and Grill in Apple Valley. It’s our hidden gem, and they are great with kiddos too. We are also members at the Minnesota Zoo which is one of our favorite weekend spots. I wish I could tell you my favorite animal at the zoo, but it changes each time I go. My daughter’s favorite animals to see are the penguins!!
Anything else you want to share? My illustrator is Sarah Cazee-Widhalm out of Spokane, Washington. She was one of my good friends in college and is an amazing artist. She did all of our illustrations in watercolor paintings, hiding whimsical details throughout.
