Oh, Sully!

 

Alright, so there are a plethora of children’s books out there for your kids to read and for your to read to your kids. I, myself, was a Bernstein Bears FANATIC. I couldn’t get enough. I actually went on e-bay and bought a stock pile of them the moment I found out I was pregnant with Haydan.

 

However, my all time favorite book was Little Golden Book’s ‘The Store Bought Doll’. My dad read that book to me every single night as a little girl. I was obsessed. I also had a weird obsession with creepy china dolls as a child…so that could also explain my obsession with this book…

During my nearly seven years as a parent, I’ve come across some seriously strange books. We are all familiar with the ‘Everyone Poops’ book, however, there are some even odder ones that I came across recently.

I’ve always thought how neat it would be to publish your own children’s book. I mean, kids are probably the easiest people on the planet to make laugh or get interested in a good story….at least for a moment until a bird flies by and their attention is lost out the window.

Well, I was contacted by a publishing company, Treeswing Press and I was introduced, in a web-like fashion, to Kevin Gard.

Kevin grew up in Huntington Beach, CA. His love grew for the ocean as a child and as he aged and he came up with an idea to create a children’s book centered around the ocean. Kevin struggled with dyslexia throughout his childhood and seemed to have a difficult time accepting himself for who he was. He created something spectacular with the book ‘Oh, Sully!’ which somewhat mirrors his own personal struggles through a book with the story of a whale named ‘Sully’.

Oddly enough, Haydan has a very difficult time being herself. She is very timid to new situations/people and seems to be somewhat of a people pleaser. I have to remind her to stand up and be proud of who she is. She always wants a different hairstyle because ‘so and so’ has their hair cut that way or because she saw some girl at the mall (that she is certain was her age) wearing high heels—so in her mind, that’s a completely valid reason as to why I should allow her to wear stilettos to school. When I was contacted by Treeswing Press and introduced to this book, Oh, Sully! it really resonated with me and the struggles I have with raising a young girl in a very impressionable era.

‘Be Who You Are and Say What You Feel Because Those Who Mind Don’t Matter And Those Who Matter Don’t Mind’ -Dr. Suess

Oh, Sully! is a story about a whale whom is on a mission to find out who he is while trying to also fit in with others. He goes on a bunch of different goofy adverntues (all which made Haydan laugh) and ultimately, Sully realizes he is much better off just being who he is, Sully!

 

The part that really convinced me to do this post about this book, Oh, Sully! is the fact that it is very uncommon for an author to both write the book and illustrate the book him or herself. Often times, writers submit their stories and the publishers choose the artist to illustrate the book. Kevin took a different route and decided to do a Kickstarter Campaign to raise money to gain funds in terms of printing, websites, etc.

There is a really neat video I watched regarding the process of putting the book together. Feel free to watch–it is actually pretty cool to see the project in action and even more so, the fact that he reached his Kickstarter goal!

The book is adorable, sweet, and has a wonderful moral to the story. Promote your child to let their freak flag fly and be who they are, who God intended them to be! Haydan truly enjoyed the book and Treeswing press was gracious enough to give one copy of Oh, Sully! away to a Crazy Life of Smash! reader. If you think that your young one/s would love a cute little story about a sweet whale trying to learn, discover, and accept who he is, drop me a comment! I will randomly pick a winner the morning of Friday September 19th.

You can also purchase Oh, Sully! through Amazon or directly through Treeswing Press.

 

Who doesn’t love a good book about teaching their kids to be their crazy looney tune selves?!

 

Don’t Forget! Leave me a comment and Haydan will hopefully draw your name from a hat on September 19th and you and your kiddo just may get your hands on a free copy courtesy of Treeswing Press!

Of course, sharing the post on your social media will also greatly help Kevin Gard spread the Oh, Sully! love around! So please, share away!

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 Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”