When I first sat down to write The Sandwich Way, I wanted to create a series, a movement, or even a message that would someday be shared in classrooms. I wanted to help answer one question for my son — a question so small and harmless on the surface, yet so familiar to me that it stopped me in my tracks.
It was around first grade and he was struggling to describe the appearance of someone at school. Not because he didn’t know the words, but because he already felt the weight of “saying it wrong.” I recognized that hesitation instantly. Growing up biracial, I spent many years trying to explain who I was without offending anyone, confusing anyone, or making myself feel misplaced. I knew that feeling too well, and I didn’t want him to carry it the way I had.
So I reached for something simple — something safe, familiar, and comforting.
A sandwich.
What started as a kitchen-table metaphor became a moment of clarity for both of us. I showed him that people, like sandwiches, have different “ingredients,” different looks, different layers — but we are all still people. We are all still whole. And we all share more similarities than we realize. He understood instantly. Not because the explanation was complex, but because it wasn’t.
That simplicity became the heart of The Sandwich Way.
I chose not to over-explain themes like race or identity directly in the pages of the book. Instead, I kept the story gentle and familiar, with three characters starting their first day of school in their own unique homes. Their routines are different, but delightfully the same — a mirror for the truth I hope children carry into their friendships and classrooms.
The story is simple on purpose.
Simple enough for children to connect with,
and open enough for adults to guide the deeper conversation.
My greatest hope is that this book becomes a starting point — a doorway into the kinds of honest, meaningful discussions that shape how children understand themselves and one another. If The Sandwich Way helps even one child feel more confident in their identity, or eases the pressure a parent feels when navigating “big topics,” then the book has already done its work.
Thank you for being here, for reading, for supporting, and for believing in the message that changed everything for me:
We aren’t that different after all.
If you’ve read the book or shared it with a child, I would truly love to hear what conversations it sparked for you. Feel free to message me or drop a question in the “Ask the Author” section. Your stories mean more than you know.
The Sandwich Way: First Day of School
— Jalaila
