Additional information
by Janeen Jackson (Author), Brittanie Gaja (Illustrator)
Young and in love, Momma Red and Poppa Yellow Tomato decide to have a baby tomato. However, Momma and Poppa quickly learn that they cannot properly care for their sweet seedling the way and make the difficult decision to release her to another loving tomato family in Hopewell Garden, using the assistance of a helpful ladybug adoption agent.
Hello Sweet Baby is a heartfelt, magical story by a bright new talent about adoption, making tough choices, honoring differences, and celebrating different types of families.Author Biography
Janeen Jackson lives in Santa Monica, CA with her husband Ron Clark and their two sons, Tyson and Phoenix. She received her B.A. from Norfolk State University, an HBCU, and completed her master's in Education Leadership and Change in 2020 from Antioch University.
In 2018, at age 46, Janeen received unexpected news through DNA
technology: she was adopted and biracial. Read about Janeen's adoption discovery at Mixedupdiary.com. Janeen found inspiration for this book in a small tomato garden at her son Phoenix's elementary school. Writing this
story was Janeen's way of explaining her adoption, the complexities of race, the family that released her, and the family that adopted her and loved her as their own. Hello, Sweet Baby! is Janeen's first children's book.
Brittanie Gaja is a Taiwanese-American illustrator and designer from Los Angeles, California, whose work has appeared in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times. She enjoys bringing stories to life through whimsical illustrations, often inspired by her love of nature, travel, and yummy treats. She received her BFA in Illustration from ArtCenter College of Design.
