MUSD mother-daughter team publishes children’s book together

A Milpitas Unified School District mother-daughter tandem teamed up to write and illustrate a children’s book, titled ‘Jacques and Bok,’ to help young readers find ways to take care of themselves and others without the use of electronic devices.

“The characters spend a lot of time in nature and in creating things together, which I believe are wonderful ways to connect and stay healthy,” shared Sinnott Elementary School educator Adrienne Barber of her second published book. Barber has taught first and second grade at Sinnott for 25 years.

Adrienne’s daughter, MUSD Middle College High School junior Rose Barber, created the illustrations for the book, which was recently published on January 20, 2025. The 16-year-old illustrator attended Sinnott, Rancho MS and Milpitas HS before enrolling at MMCHS. She was inspired by the works of Mo Willems and Charles Shulz.

“I wanted to give a light and whimsical yet humorous atmosphere to the book,” explained Rose. “The purpose of the book is to promote a healthy lifestyle to students, encouraging self-care through things such as spending time in nature, exercising, and making art. It also encourages positive interpersonal relationships by showing the characters collaborating, spending time together and sharing”

Jacques and Bok, now available on Amazon, follows the unlikely and comical daily adventures of a man and his bird friend. It is meant as an early reader or story to be read and shared between parent and child. Bok, the bird, lives on Adrienne’s classroom whiteboard and provides daily messages to her students, and Jacques is a combination of a few people, Rose’s father, chef Jacques Pepin and some friends of ours, Adrienne explained. A portion of book sales will go to the Jacques Pepin Foundation, a charity that provides education and training to people in need.

“Rose’s illustrations have always inspired me, and she created one of the characters about  a year ago. What children respond to and enjoy is always central to the creation of my books,” Adrienne said. “I’m really lucky because Rose is a very patient and talented collaborator. ….Rose did all of the illustrations, edits and formatting. I’m really inspired by her dedication.”

A months-long project, the mother-daughter team spent up to 14 hours a day developing the characters and storyline, as well as matching the illustrations and photographs in the book. “Conceptually, the book took a year, but collaborating with Rose on a book is something I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember,” Adrienne said.

“The character of Bok was originally drawn as a quick sketch I made for fun on a whiteboard in my mom's classroom for her second-grade students to see,” Rose added. “At first, I didn't expect to develop the character further, but I began to feel more attached to the funny bird, and my mom thought it would be a great character if we ever made a book.”

Artwork in the book combines character drawings and photos taken in France, Italy, Ireland, the Barber home, and in Milpitas’ Ed Levin park. “It was really important to us that Milpitas be included,” Rose said. “The repetition of sentence structure and colors creates a pattern that children enjoy, and they especially like commenting on backgrounds and saying the bird’s line: “Bok!”

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