The Gallery | Writing

We, but Me – A Book for Twins (Or Any Two Peas in a Pod)

Featured, writing 2021 - silver

Noodle Pixels and Press

I’m complete crap at carpentry, so building my kids a tree house was out of the question. But I really wanted to make something special for my twin daughters. So I wrote “We, but Me” as a legacy gift to them.

This 32-page picture book celebrates the closeness of twins while emphasizing the importance of individuality. Most picture books are written by an author, and then the publisher or editor selects an illustrator without any input from the writer.

Since the co-creator/illustrator, Kai-Hua Cheng, and I met at an advertising agency, we’ve wanted to see if the creative partnership from the ad world could translate to crafting a kids’ book. So far, the book has gotten into a dozen indie-book stores and a couple of libraries.

It’s been reviewed by a renowned psychologist who specializes in twin studies and it also got me a guest spot on a podcast. And after all of that, my kids would still rather have a tree house instead.

Noodle Pixels and Press

Here’s a quick little story about a writer and designer that like to tell quick little stories. Kenny and Kai-Hua first crossed paths several years ago at a San Francisco ad agency before they realized that each of them liked to noodle on ideas for children’s picture book. They reunited to collaborate on We, But Me. And the two of them had so much fun teaming up to make a book, they upped the ante and formed an indie-publishing boutique, Noodle Pixels and Press. By day, Kenny is a creative director and writer. When his twins came along, Kenny became so immersed with picture books, he decided to try his hand at writing one. Originally from New Jersey, Kenny lives just south of the Golden Gate Bridge with his wife and daughters. Kai-Hua has a graduate degree in narrative illustration from Haute école des arts du Rhin in Strasbourg, France. She’s also a painter, a graphic designer, a linguist, and a globetrotter. Whew! When she isn’t in traveling the world, Kai-Hua lives just north of the Golden Gate Bridge with her husband and son.