The Adventures of Strawberryhead & Gingerbread: Solomon's Birthday Party by KF and KM Wheatie
What's it About?
What’s it about: A light-hearted dog's tale bursting with personality that shares the true meaning of thankfulness, joy and friendship!
Welcome to S’moresville, where siblings Strawberryhead and Gingerbread live in a charming little treehouse above the sparkling lake. In an enchanted village like this, every day is magical — but this exact day is even more magical than most. It’s the day of Solomon’s birthday party! Who’s Solomon? The two siblings’ pet black lab, of course!
Co-written by real-life siblings KF and KM Wheatie, The Adventures of Strawberryhead & Gingerbread: Solomon’s Birthday Party (Strawberryhead and Gingerbread Press) is the second in a series of children’s books celebrating friendship and acceptance. All readers are invited to Solomon’s party, so pull up a chair, grab a slice of cake and enjoy the party!
Happy Birthday, Solomon!
Solomon can barely contain his excitement as the special day approaches. With the help of Strawberryhead and Gingerbread, he’s already addressed his bone-tastic birthday invites to all his four-legged friends. The backyard is decorated, balloons are hung and the peanut butter cake is baked. And when the big day finally arrives, it’s even more fun than Solomon could have expected — with games, music and fun party hats, Solomon and all his friends have an absolute ball.
With colorful illustrations, young readers can see all the fun play out right in front of them. And as the party wraps up, the co-authors remind young readers what the celebration is all about at its core: “the dogs at the party were having so much fun! Their joy teaches us how we should treat each other every day.” When his playmates finally leave, Solomon goes to bed dreaming of peanut butter cake, thankful for his friends and the love he has around him.
Celebrating With All Readers
At the very beginning of Solomon’s Birthday Party is a heartfelt dedication: “To the lonely kids, God created you uniquely significant! May this book inspire you to embrace your uniqueness and live your life to the fullest.” It follows the theme of the previous installment in The Adventures of Strawberryhead & Gingerbread series, where Strawberry and Gingerbread had to go outside their comfort zones in order to befriend the local kids of S’moresville. Pushing past their loneliness and discomfort was daunting, but the two siblings managed to form lasting friendships and fond memories. It’s exactly the kind of message authors KF and KM Wheatie needed when they were kids.
Based on their own experience as autistic children who had a hard time fitting in, the Wheatie siblings encourage all readers to accept themselves, reach out for new friendships and to embrace their true, authentic selves. The co-authors recognize the struggles that children, and neurodivergent children in particular, can experience with early friendship and acceptance as a result of being judged by their peers.
The acknowledgment of these hardships validate young readers who share in these struggles, and The Adventures of Strawberryhead & Gingerbread give these children the lessons they can use to implement positive change in their own social lives. Solomon’s Birthday Party isn’t just a celebration of Solomon; it’s a celebration of all the children who will be inspired by his welcoming attitude and dedication to his friends.
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KF Wheatie, nicknamed Strawberryhead, was diagnosed with autism as a child. KF has a strong faith and works hard in school. She is currently a senior in college studying fine arts and music. KF makes it her mission to make new friends as often as possible. She plays the flute in a church band and is also a classically trained professional harpist. Her hobbies include art, Broadway and travel.
KM Wheatie is nicknamed Gingerbread. Because he looked like a cookie to his mother when he was little, she always pretended to take a bite out of him. His sister KF was sure that her brother would grow back after their mother took a bite out of him. Diagnosed with autism at a very young age, KM preferred to play alone as a child. It was not that he did not want to interact with other kids; he did not have the social skills necessary to play with them. He turned his love of map reading into a serious hobby. He is now a senior in college studying environmental science/geographic information science. His hobbies include riding rollercoasters, travel and hiking.
KF and KM Wheatie were raised by their mother, who is a staunch advocate for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She instilled in them their faith and belief that all their struggles, loneliness and hardships were adventures leading to a path of success. They believe in accessibility and inclusivity for all people. They also enjoy spending time with their English black Labrador, Solomon.
