Mark Loewen’s latest coloring book The True Colors of Family Coloring Book (Celebrating LGBT Families) features coloring pages of families with two moms, two dads, single parents, and even childless families.
He created the book so kids like his daughter could see themselves, but he also sees it as an opportunity for everyone to learn more about LGBT families.
I interviewed him about why he decided to create this book and what he hopes families will gain by having this coloring book for their kids.
How did you come up with the idea for the coloring book?
I actually released a picture book in 2018, titled What Does a Princess Really Look Like? after a conversation about princesses that I had with my daughter.
I had told a friend before that we needed more children’s books where kids just happened to have gay parents, and where there wasn’t a specific LGBT issue at hand. We needed books where people were just the way they were.
So when I then told my friend about the conversation with my daughter, she told me, “There’s your book!” I created a story out of the conversation, and BQB Publishing published it.
Then we thought it would be cool to do a coloring book where we could take the concepts of diversity and empowerment in the picture book, and really drive them home. That became The True Colors of a Princess.
At that time, I realized that even though there are quite a few picture books that explain gay families, there really weren’t any coloring books with LGBT families. I’m a sucker for anything with a positive message. I always buy coloring books for my daughter that have an empowering message or show some sort of diversity. But there was nothing about our families.
So, I talked to an illustrator (who chose to remain anonymous because of personal reasons) and we worked on illustrations of LGBT families. Then, BQB Publishing said they were interested in creating a series out of it. That’s how The True Colors of Family was born. It is Volume 1 of the Celebrating LGBT Families series.
What will we find in the coloring book?
The True Colors of Family is full of illustrations of families with two moms, two dads, single parents, and even a few pictures of childless families. They are all having fun in different ways. They are either baking together, playing video games, riding roller coasters, celebrating holidays, or on some other fun adventure. Basically, they are just being regular families that like having fun together!
What is your goal with this coloring book?
When I write books with LGBT characters, I have two goals. The first is that I want kids to see themselves in books. Representation matters so much. Maybe I’m doing it for myself, because when I was a kid I didn’t see anyone like myself, and it was incredibly lonely and, at times, terrifying.
I mean, if there were any good coloring books with LGBT families out there already, I probably wouldn’t create this series. But if you just do an Amazon search, you’ll see what I’m talking about. There’s nothing at all. So I want this series to exist so that kids can see themselves, especially kids who maybe are the only child in an LGBT family in their community.
My second goal is that I would like children who live in a heterosexual family to also see our families before they meet a kid who has two moms and two dads. I know that our daughter at times becomes frustrated when kids ask the same questions over and over. Or when they don’t believe her that she doesn’t have a mom and that she has two dads. It’s so helpful when kids have already been exposed to our families before she introduces us to them.
Who was the artist for the book?
It’s kind of weird that my name is the only one in the book, and I’m not an illustrator. The illustrator was very happy to work on this project. But they preferred to remain anonymous. They live in another country, where gay rights have not advanced as they have in the US, so it was important for their safety to stay anonymous. I created the concept for each illustration and worked with them to create the book. But the art is all theirs.
Tell me a little about yourself?
I was born in Paraguay – a very conservative country. Until I moved away, when I was 25, I hadn’t ever met an openly gay person who was genuinely happy. Any gay person I met was living in secrecy and afraid that they would lose everything if they were found out. I, too, was completely closeted and falling into a deeper and deeper depression. When I explored attending graduate school overseas, I fixated on the US because I heard of conversion therapy.
So I came to the United States for a master’s degree in counseling and immediately enrolled in a reparative therapy group. Thankfully it didn’t take too long for me to realize that it wasn’t therapy at all. My counseling professors helped me accept myself. And so, two years later, I went back home to Paraguay to come out.
Only two days after I returned from that trip (back in the US), I met a guy. We’ve been together for 12 years now.
We adopted our daughter Zoe through open adoption (which means that she has contact with her birth family). We are now a family of three, and I can’t imagine life any better. I’m so grateful.
Is there any way people can get a sample or something like that?
Yes! There are free coloring pages on my website. They are free for people to print and use. They come with a hashtag #truecolorsoffamily, so I hope parents post the pages their kids colored. I can’t wait to see them!
Where is the book available?
It is available for pre-ordering anywhere books are sold. People can order it at their local bookstore (which I always recommend, to support local stores) or any online retailer.
