The idea to write a children’s book was inspired by CNN commentator Van Jones on election night when he asked: “How will I explain this (election) to my kids?”

Like Van Jones and millions of other Americans, we struggled to see how our new president could be a viable role model for our children. But they deserved an explanation. It occurred to us that children love to learn about the world through stories, and that a children’s book could be a wonderful way to help them understand the complicated issues surrounding the election. Given the immediacy of the situation, we began writing the next day.

The success of “The Pumpkin and The Pantsuit” was dependent on traditional and non-traditional media and accelerated timing. Our launch deadline was Inauguration Day in January 2017, which meant we had to write, illustrate, publish and promote a 40-page book in just over two months. Because it was a passion project, many people contributed their time. Many people and organizations also posted their support. And of course, media attention clearly helped the book scale—and continues to.

We also made sure to target people we felt would have a strong reaction–positive or otherwise. Even negative attention (a podcast called “Chicks on the Right” offered up a scathing review that drew substantial publicity) contributed to the book’s success.

At the time of this writing, more than 6,000 books have been ordered across all 50 states, and nearly $20,000 has been raised for the Children’s Defense Fund. The book has also entered the Amazon Book Top 100 Seller List. Entering this list brought “The Pumpkin and The Pantsuit” to the attention of several publishers and film studios, and we are currently pursuing a formal publishing deal to give the book widespread distribution, and are in discussions to translate its characters into film or TV.