According to the US Department of Labor, 70% of all working women are mothers. Working mothers who have one foot planted firmly in the home and the other in the workplace wear many different shoes during the course of a week. And to Bucks County writer and working mom Kristie Finnan, that challenge is a happy one. It is the main reason she wrote her first children’s picture book: Mommy’s High Heel Shoes (release date October 8th, 2008).
Finnan, a mother of two preschoolers and full time sales representative for a biotech company, searched bookstores and libraries for stories that featured working moms to help her explain why she works to her children. After finding the selection slim to none, she decided to fill this unmet need and write one herself. Her story was inspired by her daughter’s fascination with Mommy’s high heel shoes and everyday events in her own young family. It revolves around a timeless ritual that so many youngsters have had fun doing: trying on Mommy’s shoes.
Kristie Finnnan says, “I knew I had to write Mommy’s High Heel Shoes when my daughter clip clopped around the house in a pair of princess dress up shoes on her birthday last year. She said, “Bye, Mom. I’m going to work.” That was my “Ah Ha” moment. I just can’t believe my books were received at the loading dock from overseas on her 4th birthday this year- one year exactly. It’s like fate!”