David Protess’ new children’s book inspires connection across distance and generations 

Journalistic investigations on wrongful murder convictions may not sound like the plot of a children’s book, but for Oak Parker and founder of the Innocence Project David Protess, it became one. Protess’ new children’s book “Bedtime Stories Only a Grandparent Can Tell,” is a collection of 12 stories he originally wrote during the pandemic for his grandson Harry and later stories for his granddaughter Lorelei who live all the way in New York. During the lockdown, his son and daughter-in-law ran out of reading material and turned to the legendary storyteller for stories of their own. “The really unexpected benefit of all of that was knowing that my son was reading my stories to my grandson, therefore bridging three generations in 800 miles, allowing me to connect with them at their bedtimes,” said Protess. The intergenerational thread to his grandson was reminiscent of his own upbringing in Brooklyn with his parents and grandparents all living together in a two-flat. “M