To apply the familiar saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” it can take weeks, months, even years for someone to complete a book, publish it and have it distributed.
For Cinnaminson resident Ziyad Abughaida – or “ZeeZee,” his pen name – inspiration for “A Mouse the Size of a Moose” came from family member JoJo.
“This book is dedicated to my nephew,” he said. “My wife and I had been raising him since he was six months old, and it’s because of him that this whole thing came to be … I went to school, did some writing and lit courses, so I’ve always had a passion for it, but I never thought to do anything about it until there was a little one around …”
The author began raising his nephew around the time COVID began, a circumstance that prompted other questions and realities, including thoughts of kids who have experienced the feeling of being different and come to know those differences are OK. In a way, it’s what “A Mouse the Size of a Moose” is about.
“It’s something for my nephew to remember,” Abughaida explained. “It’s something to reassure him that he’s perfect the way he is. His mom lives with us, but his father isn’t in the picture. He’s of the age now where he’s asking questions, and I had to tell him that families are different and I wanted to reflect on something more than just those words.”
What better way to illustrate that than through his book’s morphing of animals, from the combination of a tiger and a turkey to the story’s namesakes, a moose and a mouse.
The book is short – about 20 pages – but the message resonates beyond that number.
As readers approach the final page of “A Mouse the Size of a Moose,” just 24 words bring home a fitting tribute to Abughaida’s unique situation, one he and his wife have fully embraced and enjoyed. The page reads: “Be it normal or bizarre, there is no need to be confused. You’re perfect the way you are, and exactly what I would choose!”
Since the book was published about eight months ago, feedback and publicity have grown exponentially. Abughaida has read the book at local schools and talked with children and parents about it.
“A Mouse the Size of a Moose” is just the beginning of what he hopes will be a more permanent venture into a field he’s enjoyed being part of.
“There’s a lot of good things coming out of it,” he noted. “It’s starting to get some mainstream attention. We’re hopefully headed in the right direction with this book, and it’s the first of what I plan on being a few to be released.”
Abughaida’s book can be purchased from Amazon, Walmart and Barnes & Noble.
