Jupiter Strong, in many ways, is a typical five-year-old. She’s the youngest of three, has a big imagination, loves Mommy and Daddy and enjoys interacting with the world around her.

Jupiter is a fictional leading lady of a children’s book series and made her national debut almost six months ago with the tale of her first school day at kindergarten, Jupiter Strong And The Lunch Lion. Thanks to the book’s overwhelming success, the Jupiter Strong “universe” expanded to include a website, Facebook fan page and eventually, thousands of families that gravitate to the lessons and values found therein.

It’s been a busy few weeks for her creators, audio engineer Frank Edwards and graphic designer Kelly Abel. The series’ second book, Jupiter Strong and the Hairy Hippos, was released this week, but Edwards was more than happy to discuss plans for Miss Jupiter, her latest adventure and why she’s so popular among big and little “Loopsters” alike (more on that term below)….

How did you come up with the idea for Jupiter Strong?

“I have five children; three of them are daughters. One of them, who was five at the time, came to me and asked, ‘Daddy, when am I going to get my ‘princess hair’? When it going to turn yellow and hang down?’ It broke my heart when she said that and made me realize that there was a gap that needed to be filled. There was too much indoctrination going on out there if a five-year-year old could come to the conclusion that she didn’t have ‘princess hair.'”

I was drawn to the first book by the lively artwork, the moral about confidence and the introduction to everyday words in Swahili. Where did that concept come from?

“I really wanted to address Pan-Africanism: it made sense to include Swahili for black kids to ‘re-Africanize’ themselves and introduce something from their heritage that is uniquely theirs. when we see other cultures in forms of entertainment for children, for example, they’re learning Spanish through Dora the Explorer and Chinese through Ni Hao, Kai Lan, so why not teach kids swahili? It made sense to me to further their Pan-African view and give them something to connect to.”

Without giving away too much of the story, what is the new …Hairy Hippos about?

“At the end of …Lunch Lion, Jupiter learned about critical thinking and self-worth. In the new book, Jupiter goes to the zoo on a field trip, and without giving away too much of the plot, the story focuses on self-love and acceptance, realizing that she needs to love herself as is and not to change for anyone else. The lessons are delivered in a fun way for kids and the morals will empower them while they have fun. Another one coming out in time for the holidays is called Jupiter Strong and the Money Muncher. That’s where Jupiter learns about the importance of being a conscious consumer and spending money wisely after earning it.”

Why do you think Jupiter Strong has resonated with so many readers?

” We’re really, really connected to our fanbase and call them our “Loopsters” (because they’re ‘in the loop with “Jup.”). We have parents that tell us how their kids reacted after reading or listening to the stories, we get pictures and videos of the kids reading and all of it has been awesome. There are so many who will come to the Facebook page or website and tell us how affected they are and it’s humbling to us. It’s why we do it and what keeps us going.”