When the pandemic left everyone sitting at home, Terri Roberts-Leonard took advantage of the extra time by working on a project she had wanted to do for years. She wrote a children’s book with her three children in mind.
“I have two children from foster care and their adoption was finalized the same week as my youngest,” she said. “She was a private adoption and we took her home at two days old. I wanted to create a legacy for my kids. I want to normalize adoption and it seems like it all just came together.”
“Danda the Panda: Welcome to My World” was published in 2020.
The first book introduces the character of Danda the Panda, and was followed by a second book in 2021, “Danda the Panda: Love Makes a Family.”
“My son helped me with the second one,” Roberts-Leonard said. “It’s about Danda looking different and being teased. I’ve put information about bullying in the back. I read it to the kids and my son said he thought there should be some changes, so he helped author that one.”
Her desire is to educate and share information regarding adoption, and her own family has found more ways than one to share their experience.
They started a YouTube channel, The J-Crew Squad, with a variety of posts.
“They do taste tests, toy reviews and scavenger hunts, but we also do read-alouds and introduce Danda,” Roberts-Leonard said. “My hope is to build the page, and eventually delve deeper into conversations about adoption.”
Though most understand the concept of adoption, Roberts-Leonard said many believe children come home and everyone lives happily ever after. More often than not, the dynamic is much more complex.
Some adoptions are open and include biological parents in the mix, while other children don’t have a connection to the biological parents. They may lack family medical history or simply don’t look like others in their household.
Even the language used by those unfamiliar can be hurtful.
For example, Roberts-Leonard said many people refer to a child’s “real mom” instead of biological mom, and the list of faux pas goes on.
“Several years ago I was a foster parent and my 12-year-old was very upset about a project in middle school,” she said. “It was about creating a family tree and she was worried if she put her biological family in it, it would offend us, and if she put us in it, that would be disrespectful to them. We need to talk to educators and share this information. Not everyone has a baby picture to use.”
For now, Roberts-Leonard is determined to continue educating through the Danda series. Her third book is set to be published in the spring of 2025.
The book focuses on demonstrating how you do not have to be the same as someone to be their friend. It involves standing up for yourself and for others, empowerment, and accepting others’ differences.
“It’s really touching on things that are going on right now, and so far I’m writing for pre-K to third graders, but I’d like to branch out to reach other age groups too,” Roberts-Leonard said.
The Danda the Panda series is available on Amazon. You can also pick one up at Indy Reads in Indianapolis or Wild Geese Bookshop in Franklin.
Follow Roberts-Leonard on Instagram @lovemakesafamilystories, and on Facebook @dandathepanda.
Comments 1
Mrs. Leonard is a wonderful person. A caring person. God ready knew what He was doing when he gave Terri to this world.