How a dinner party challenge led Emma Donoghue to her first children's book

Author Emma Donoghue was at a dinner party one evening when someone challenged her to write a "book about two mothers where it's no big deal." While that kind of narrative is still a rare sight in the literary world, Donoghue found that challenge too boring. 

"It's worthy, but it's not that exciting," she remembers. "So I thought, what else could be in that book? What else can I throw into the mix?"

The results of that brainstorming session can be found in her first children's book, The Lotterys Plus One (out now). This is Donoghue's first foray into children's books but it's a category of books that she thinks shouldn't be ignored. 

She adds, "To miss out on really enjoyable books just because they're aimed at a different demographic seems foolish."

— Produced by Ben Edwards