Chasten Buttigieg stops in Naperville to discuss new kid's book with Bonnie Hunt

Chicago Tribune

23-05-2025

Chasten Buttigieg knows O'Hare International Airport well.
It's where his husband — former U.S. transportation secretary and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg — proposed. At gate B5 to be exact.
O'Hare is also where, more than seven years later, he flew in Thursday before traveling out to Naperville to talk about his new children's book, 'Papa's Coming Home.'
Alas, he didn't stop by B5 this time. He wanted to squeeze in a little time to have lunch with family before hitting the stage.
Chasten Buttigieg spent Thursday night discussing his latest release to a room of more than 200 people at North Central College's Meiley-Swallow Hall. Actress Bonnie Hunt, of 'Jerry Maguire' and 'Cheaper by the Dozen,' joined in conversation for the sold-out evening, which featured insight into Buttigieg's new work but far more than that too. Buttigieg and Hunt touched on politics, love and even his family's 14-year-old, one-eyed puggle, Buddy.
Naperville marked the seventh stop in a two-week book tour that launched last week in Traverse City, Michigan, Buttigieg's hometown and where he and his family now live.
'Papa Coming Home' tells the story of two kids, Rosie and Jojo, excitedly preparing to go get their dad from the airport after he was away on a trip. Together, alongside their other dad, they get ready to welcome him home, pulling together anything and everything they could need for their very best hello. They make a sign — glitter and all — pick flowers and yes, even bake a seven-layer chocolate cake. Ultimately, though, the thoughtful fanfare falls away and the reunion itself is what makes the moment one to relish.
Ahead of Thursday's discussion, as Buttigieg steamed his blue suit jacket for the night, he reflected on what inspired the book — his third — and kept his sights on family in light of speculation over what political aspirations his husband has in years to come.
Earlier this month, Pete Buttigieg returned to Iowa, where in 2020 he pulled off a narrow win of the state's Democratic presidential caucuses, for an event focused on veterans. Hours ahead of the town hall-style meeting, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, suggested to an independent journalist that he would look at running in 2028, The Washington Post reported.
Asked about the Iowa event and whether it was a signal that his husband intends to run, Buttigieg said, 'No, I don't think it's a signal.'
'I think Iowa has always been great to our family,' he said. 'You know, it's important to remember that Democrats are still there. That we don't just show up in places during an election cycle. … I don't think it speaks to a much larger calculus.'
Buttigieg added that after four years spent in Washington, D.C., he's 'very grateful to have him home right now.'
'I get it,' he said. 'We're in a really tough spot. I love him to pieces, and I think he's fantastic at what he does. I know he feels that pressure. But I just don't think I'm ready to think about much more.'
In March, Pete announced that he would not be seeking an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.
'You always have somebody knocking on your door telling you that you need to do more, you need to step up. … I think every family can relate to trying to get it right between doing right by work and doing right by your family,' Buttigieg said. 'But I think we're really grateful right now for this opportunity to maybe get to say no to more things, and then just cherish being together.'
The Buttigiegs adopted twins, Penelope and Gus, in 2021. They're now 3 years old, about to turn 4 this summer, Buttigieg said. They're what inspired 'Papa's Coming Home.'
'I was frustrated that we don't have a lot of books that look like our family,' he said. 'I think every family is deserving of a book that reflects their families so their children can see themselves reflected on the pages of the book.'
Buttigieg also said that he wanted to write a story about unconditional love.
'Papa's Coming Home' has been in the works for about two years. The idea came to Buttigieg while he was flying home from a work trip.
'Obviously, travel has played a key role in many things in our life,' he said. 'I thought it was kind of funny that it came to me while on an airplane.'
Take O'Hare International, for instance. Beyond their engagement, the airport is also where Chasten and Pete Buttigieg first 'met.' It was 2015, and Buttigieg was living in Chicago at the time as he pursued his master's degree in education from DePaul University. Buttigieg recalled sitting in O'Hare — at gate B5 — when he first started messaging with Pete on a dating app.
Fast forward to today, Buttigieg said, 'We go through O'Hare a lot, and it's very special when we're together.'
After inspiration struck for 'Papa's Coming Home,' Buttigieg said his kids continued to influence his work as the book progressed, acting as sounding boards for him to bounce around ideas with.
Buttigieg says they love the finished product and see themselves in the pages.
'I remember when we got the artwork back … my daughter came running up behind me and was like, 'Hey, that's me. That's Gus. That's Papa. That's Daddy,'' he said. 'She just immediately saw her family. What a special gift to be able to give that to your kid, but every kid should have that opportunity, right?
'Families come in all shapes and sizes, and we just need more books that reflect the diversity and breadth of America. I think at the end of the day, this is just a story about another quintessential American family.'
Still, Buttigieg said he's not 'naive to the realities in which we live.'
Before Naperville, Buttigieg was in Tennessee, where he met with a lot of teachers, librarians and people 'worried about students losing access to books like this,' he said.
In January, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to ban 'anti-American ideologies,' including gender ideology, in K-12 schools or risk loss of federal funding.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration fired longtime librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. The White House cited no specific reason for her termination, though the conservative American Accountability Foundation had alleged she was promoting children's books with 'radical content,' and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated she was 'putting inappropriate books in the library for children.'
Buttigieg emphasized that 'books are windows and mirrors.' In the case of his latest release, 'for my family, it's a mirror — we see ourselves in the book,' he said. But for other families it's a window into someone else's life, he said.
'But this book isn't about differences,' he said. 'This book is about unconditional love. It just so happens to have two dads, the same way our kids are reading books with families that look different as well.'