For Immediate Release

CONTACT:
Deborah Capone
631-668-3578 (Phone)
631-668-3578 (Fax)
deb@simpleasthat.com

June 24, 2003
Families Are Forever Responds to Surge in Adoptions and Multi-Racial Families
A Must-Have Storybook for Today's Kids

New York, NY-Currently, more than 150 million Americans have adoption in the immediate family. More than 6 million Americans are adopted. Every 5 years, the number of international adoptions increases by 300%. Since 1995, when the foster-care system mandated color-blind adoptions, trans-racial adoptions have boomed. And 40% of today's children are minorities. Finally, Caucasians will be a minority by 2020. At this very moment, the drama of these statistics is playing itself out in the homes, schools and social arenas of virtually every American family. The demographics of American schools are in a state of hyper-evolution. Every day, parents and educators are bombarded with questions they are ill-equipped to answer.

In a full-throttle and imaginative response to this undeniable reality comes Families Are Forever (Published by As Simple As That^TM; June 24, 2003; Hardcover; $16.95; 34 pages), the first ongoing children's books series confronting issues of adoption and multi-racial family life. Families Are Forever is targeted toward families with children ages 3-8. Locating the delicate balance between individuality and diversity, Families follows one girl's heartwarming, fascinating journey from China to America-into the arms and life of a loving mom and her extended family. Lighthearted and touching, this color-bursting tale is narrated by Rain, a 6-year old Chinese-American adopted girl and Bo, her beloved stuffed hippo who is a family legacy. With a realistic and contemporary storyline set against a simple backdrop, Families is a radical departure from the myriad of kids' books that lack a focused message on an ongoing basis.

For Deborah Capone, Families was literally a labor of love. After adopting her daughter-Noelle-from China in 2000, Deborah was alarmed by the lack of children's entertainment and educational products that emphasized diversity and celebrated cultures. Determined to give her child the tools necessary to navigate a unique place in the world, this unstoppable single-mom began to develop characters and narratives that would fill her daughter's needs.

"Given the overwhelming statistics, there is a huge need for kids' products that keep them talking about ways to respect each other's differences and similarities. Our kids no longer live in segregated communities. They are faced with a sprawling array of people and choices-and they ask tough questions. Rain's adventures speak directly to these challenges our kids face every day. We are facilitating some potentially daunting conversations in an entertaining manner," says Deborah.

In upcoming sequels, Rain learns about the world around her. Her friends in the neighborhood include children from varied cultures, family structures and abilities. Together, they embark upon adventures that teach them the invaluable lessons of self-discovery, cultural diversity and the true meaning of family.

SURVEY SAYS: In a survey recently conducted by As Simple As That^TM, 80% of parents, educators and librarians reported great difficulty in finding material that continually addresses the issues of respect and celebration of other cultures through the eyes of a child. And research from the National Association for the Education of Young Children shows that children between 2 and 5 start becoming aware of gender, race, ethnicity and disabilities-absorbing both positive and negative biases attached to these aspects of identity by family members and other significant adults in their lives. Taken with the idea that between 2001 and 2010, the number of Asian students will increase by 22%, the sense of urgency for providing books of this nature becomes clear.

Based on characters and concepts by Deborah Capone, written by Craig Shemin, former writer for the Jim Henson Co. and illustrated by John McCoy, Families Are Forever is published by As Simple As That^TM, a specialized children's publishing company devoted to creating kids' products that encourage children to respect and celebrate all cultures, choices and 'abilities'.

Families will be available through www.adoption.com, www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.Chinasprout.com, www.emilysbooks.com, www.fccnewyork.org, www.simpleasthat.com, www.tapestry.com and a network of brick and mortar independent booksellers. As Simple As That^TM donates a portion of the proceeds from all their products to leading children's organizations that assist children worldwide with their most basic needs-adequate housing, food, medical care, education and mentoring. Currently, As Simple As That^TM is supporting world-renowned Dr. Jane Aronson's Worldwide Orphans Foundation in conjunction with Borders Books "Benefit Days." The first stop on the Families Are Forever book tour will be on June 24th, at 11am, at Borders Books & Music Westbury, 1260 Old Country Road, Westbury, NY 11590.