For many kids, what was considered a nontraditional family structure is now the norm. They may not see many examples of what older generations consider to be a “nuclear family.”

Suzanne Quinson, an active parishioner of St. Peter Church in Beaufort, would like to see the ideas of the nuclear family promoted more. Her solution is in the form of a children’s book.

As the author of “The Penguin Family: A Collection of Stories for Children,” Quinson sought a way to promote the nuclear family through children’s literature, reinforcing the beauty and security therein.

“It is a collection of stories about a large, pro-life nuclear family who experience everyday adventures with engaging imagery and with a fun, challenging vocabulary,” she said.

Her stories end with a picture of a happy family: a mother and father so pleased with their little penguin. “It became my intention to show children the beauty of the nuclear family, not in a preachy way, but in a way that was wholesome and imaginative,” she said.

Quinson graduated from Christendom College in 2003. She was involved in the pro-life movement while growing up in Maryland. She credits her education from Christendom with shaping her worldview and better preparing her to go out into the world and succeed. What drew her to St. Peter was its perpetual adoration chapel, because she was involved in perpetual adoration when she lived in Maryland.

Although Quinson does not have children of her own, she is close to her three sisters and their families.

“My sisters each married wonderful men who are model fathers, and they have built beautiful families,” she said. “I’m immensely proud of my family.”

She went on to say, “Family is the building block of society, yet our society has been working hard for years to tear the family apart. I think showing what a gift the family is can only be good. I think reinforcing to children that marriage and family are positive goods is important.”

She wants parents to be more aware of the content their children are reading and watching online.

“I think we’ve seen so much insidious work done through children’s books; it seems only natural to fight fire with fire,” she said. “There clearly is an effort to rob children of their innocence, which is so wicked. Families need books that preserve innocence and hold up the family as something to admire.”

She hopes that her stories will also inspire a love for reading.

“Books have a unique ability to grab hold of our attention and even keep our attention long after we have closed them,” she said. “I hope the book will be a blessing to families. I like to think they’ll enjoy reading it aloud together. We loved reading aloud when I was a kid. I would read to my father when he was sick, both when I was young and then again at the end of his life. Those are precious memories.”

Learn more 

“The Penguin Family: A Collection of Stories for Children” is sold online through Barnes & Noble.