Local Author Cooks Up ‘Breadcrumbz’ To Help Girls Navigate Challenging World

August 13, 2023

It all started one day when Escambia County mom Shannon Addison went to have lunch with her daughter at school and it was a deja vu moment. Everytime the adults in the cafeteria walked away, she could hear the girls at the next table picking on one of the girls sitting with them. It hurt her heart to be reminded of just how mean girls can be to one another, something she had experienced growing up and something she had hoped her daughters would not have to experience. She went home and got on the phone with her mother, who was a teacher, to brainstorm a way to help. By the next day an idea was born. The Breadcrumbz would be a quirky band of characters who would share their stories and hopefully help girls navigate ‘girlhood.’

“As a kid, I was always fascinated by the idea that following a trail of breadcrumbs could guide you to safety. The Breadcrumbz will create this trail for girls by giving them fictional examples of ways to navigate their way to a safe place when dealing with conflict,” Addison explained. ”Many of their experiences are inspired by real-world incidents I remembered or I learned from my daughters. I matched that knowledge with research that focuses on girls and social cruelty.”

The initial group of Breadcrumbz, all of whom have heads that are bread shaped, are Penelope Pumpernickel, Rachel Rye, Samantha Sourdough, and Whitney Wheat.

“When Covid shook our world, so many of us found something we wanted to learn – how to knit, as an example. For me, it was learning to make bread. A friend pointed out the connection to my characters and I had a new goal – to create an interactive baking book for girls. Each of my characters is featured in stories that can be read together by an adult and a young baker while they wait for bread dough to rise and finish while they wait for the bread to bake.” Addison said. “There are prompts provided to help start conversations that will hopefully lead to some insight into what is happening with girls and their peers.”

Young bakers will start by making playdough, a great way to introduce them to how to measure ingredients, how to knead dough, and how to help clean up! Each of the Breadcrumbz helps you learn how to make the type of bread she represents and they have been joined by additional characters, Breanna Brioche and Penelope’s little sister, Poppy, and their dog, Pepper (who looks a lot like Addison’s real dog).

“One question I get often is why is my emphasis on girls? Don’t boys also have to learn how to deal with bullies and hurt feelings? The short answer is yes, however, boys’ bullying behavior differs from that of girls. That said, there isn’t any reason your son can’t participate, and reading the stories might help him understand his sister and his female friends better. It might also be a way for a big brother to help when his little sister is hurt in a way he can’t see – mean words don’t leave visible bruises.”

“I started aiming this whole project toward helping girls because that was what I knew best. I was a girl, I was bullied, and I have two daughters with similar experiences. Learning how to help them allowed me to create stories I hope will help others.” Addison added.

The baking book and coordinating measuring cups, spoons, aprons, and baker’s hats, can be ordered now by visiting her web page, mycrumbyworld.com. For a couple more weeks, you will be directed to a Kickstarter page that offers various combinations of items starting with a preorder for the cookbook. Preordering through Kickstarter will allow you to get the book at a discounted rate while it is active. It concludes with plenty of time for Addison to get the books printed in time for the holidays.

Addison gives back is a Take Stock in Children mentor and as a member of the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation’s board.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News