Inspired by a question from her young son, author Sara Porritt offers families a playful new way to talk about the hours they spend apart.
-- Parents often know nearly every detail of their children’s days, from what they ate to whom they played with and what they learned. But children may know surprisingly little about the lives their parents and caregivers lead after the morning goodbye.
That simple realization inspired author Sara Porritt to write Where Do You Go When You’re Not With Me, a new rhyming picture book for children ages 2 to 6. Illustrated by Leonardo Azevedo and published by Common Language Press, the story invites children to imagine the parts of a loved one’s day they cannot see.
A Different Question About Time Apart
The idea began when Porritt’s young son was missing her during the day. She realized that while she knew his routines, friendships, and activities, he knew very little about what happened in her world after drop-off.
“I wasn’t looking for a book that simply told my child I would come back,” Porritt said. “I wanted a book that invited him into the part of my life he couldn’t see.”
The stories Porritt encountered offered the important reassurance that a parent would return. She wanted to explore another possibility too: What if children could feel more connected to their caregivers by becoming curious about where they go, what they do, and whether they think about them during the day?
Imagination as a Bridge Between Two Days
In Where Do You Go When You’re Not With Me, a child imagines a mother doing wonderfully unexpected things while they are apart. She might be leading an orchestra, exploring under the sea, or sailing across the ocean on a jellybean ship. Through rhyme, humor, and imaginative illustrations, an ordinary question becomes an invitation to wonder.
At the heart of the story is a reciprocal idea: children think about their parents during the day, and their parents are thinking about them too. “Now, when my son tells me he misses me at school, I remind him, ‘When you’re thinking of me, I’m thinking of you,’” Porritt said. “He can already finish the line before I do.”
From Reassurance to Reciprocal Curiosity
Rather than defining time apart only through worry, the book treats a parent or caregiver’s unseen day as something children can explore through imagination and conversation. Its themes extend beyond working mothers to families navigating daycare, preschool, workdays, travel, and other everyday transitions.
The book was shaped by Porritt’s experience as a working mother and senior corporate executive. Childcare was not an abstract debate in her family. It was part of the practical infrastructure that made it possible to build a meaningful career while raising two young children. That experience helped her create a story that acknowledges the emotional complexity of time apart without turning it into a source of parental guilt or judgment.
Where Do You Go When You’re Not With Me also reflects Porritt’s experience as an Asian American mother raising biracial children. For Porritt, authentic representation is most meaningful when children can simply encounter different families as part of an engaging story.
Continuing the Conversation After the Book Closes
The published book includes a personal author’s note, thoughtful conversation starters, and an “Our Day Together” activity. The activity invites children to learn more about a caregiver’s day and connect it with their own experiences.
“I didn’t want the conversation to end when the book closed,” Porritt said. “The questions and activity give families a way to keep discovering and connecting with one another.” These elements make the book both an imaginative read-aloud and a practical starting point for conversations among children, parents, caregivers and educators.
A Book Worth Talking About
Where Do You Go When You’re Not With Me is the first title from Common Language Press, the founder-led independent publishing imprint established by Porritt. Built around the tagline “Books worth talking about,” Common Language Press was created to develop imaginative stories and thoughtful resources that encourage curiosity, conversation and connection.
The philosophy draws subtly from Porritt’s longstanding professional work in inclusion, culture and human connection: understanding lives beyond our own can begin with the questions families ask at home.
The book is now available through Amazon. Readers can learn more and find purchase information at commonlanguagepress.com.
About Common Language Press
Common Language Press is a founder-led independent publishing imprint created by author, executive leader, and working mother Sara Porritt. Guided by the tagline “Books worth talking about,” the press develops imaginative children’s books and thoughtful resources designed to spark curiosity, conversation and connection among families, caregivers and educators. Its first title, Where Do You Go When You’re Not With Me, is a rhyming picture book for children ages 2 to 6, illustrated by Leonardo Azevedo.
Contact Info:
Name: Sara Porritt
Email: Send Email
Organization: Common Language Press
Website: https://www.commonlanguagepress.com
Release ID: 89202422
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