The Story Behind the Story: Rocking Chair, Rocking Chair

First, a little about the book: Rocking Chair, Rocking Chair is a heartwarming lullaby about a little Black boy, a really big chair, and a magical experience that neither he nor his parents can resist. Authors L.A. Kimo and La Shauna Richardson draw from their experiences as parents and professional experience with children and families to tell a timeless tale that celebrates the loving bond that caregivers and children build with one another at bedtime or whenever a little one needs a snuggle.

The Backstory

Sometimes putting a little one to bed goes well; sometimes, it doesn't. As new parents, we were determined to do all that we could to help it go as well as it could, as often as it could. Enter a trip to the baby goods store. Objective number one: find a rocking chair.

Why a rocking chair? We aren't sure exactly. All we knew was that we enjoyed the calming backward and forward movement of the rocking chairs that we have sat in and thought our son might too. Like most other pieces of furniture, this is not a purchase best made online. Testing it ourselves was necessary.

When we arrived at the store, we made a beeline to the area of the store where the chairs were located. Enter the feeling of being overwhelmed. There were big chairs and little chairs; some with extra features, some without. How in the world would we choose! The only way we could! By trying out the ones that looked comfortable, lol. After a few tries, it happened! We sat in a rocking chair that felt like sitting on a cloud in the sky. We tried a few more for good measure but ultimately landed back on that chair. We bought it, got it home, and set it up.

Did we make the right choice? That night would tell. Our son was having a tough time getting to sleep, so we had to call our secret player off the sidelines. I got in the chair and started to shimmy back and forth. What happened? Exactly what we needed to: our son fell asleep. But that wasn't how we knew we picked the right chair. We knew it 30 minutes later when I woke up with him still in my arms. At that moment, the first lines of what would later become this book came to me.

"Rocking chair, rocking chair, comfy seat, when you move, you make the floorboards creak."

I put our son down as quickly and carefully as I could and scurried off with my cellphone to capture the rhythm building in my mind. That rhythm would later become the lullaby that is the basis for the book.

While the book is drawn from our experience as parents, it centers on the experience of a child. It gives little and big readers a peek into how the rhythmic motions of the rocking chair and the act of bonding with a caregiver reconnects the child with various moments of joy they have experienced throughout the day and eases the way for them (and their caregivers) to fall peacefully to sleep.

Do you have a unique trick that has helped you put your little one to sleep? Please share it with us by dropping a note in the comment section.

Interested in learning more about the book? Find more information at: www.kindmirrorbooks.com/books.