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Sometimes, creativity comes from the most unexpected places.
But that’s the thing about creativity: one minute, your brain is void of ideas, and the next, creativity sneaks up on you and catches you by surprise.
Some people call it their “ah-HA” moment.
The “ah-AH” moment for myself and co-author B.A. Norrgard started as a “what if?” conversation between us as two long-time friends. It was the summer of 2018, and Beth Ann (B.A.) and I were enjoying some much-needed catch-up time over lunch.
The conversation soon turned to B.A.’s lifestyle of “living tiny” and how leaving her paralegal career in 2012 had led to a personal lifestyle change and a career within the tiny house community. BA became involved in the nationwide movement by teaching others about going tiny and empowering others to downsize by leading by example.
Photo credit: Tiny House, Giant Journey
The tiny house movement, a social movement that advocates for living simply in small homes of 399 square feet or less, had been steadily growing for years, and B.A. had actively made that lifestyle her reality for the past six years. During the conversation, I wondered out loud what the process of “going tiny” might look like through the eyes of a child and how scary that could actually be. The question lead to an in-depth discussion and the idea for an innovative children’s book was born.
The ironic thing was that neither one of us had any aspirations of being authors at the time. Even as a project manager for the global non-profit, Multicultural Children’s Book Day, my time was largely spent helping to shine the spotlight on other authors of diverse books for kids.
But, I had always loved the idea of being a children’s book author, but no solid book ideas had ever caught my interest. Despite being a published non-fiction author and having a deep knowledge of the children’s book world, no story ideas were popping into my head. Writing a children’s book wasn’t really a priority in my already too-busy life.
But as we chatted, it became clear we each had something very unique to bring to the table. Combining B.A.’s knowledge of living tiny and my knowledge of the children’s book publishing industry turned out to be the “secret sauce” for penning a unique and innovative book for kids. With imaginations humming, we brainstormed a plan for a beautiful children’s picture book that would help the smallest members of the family see the big adventures in living tiny.
Around 2018- 2019, the tiny house movement has been around and accelerating in popularity over the last ten years. We both knew there were already several popular shows on TV and Netflix that follow the journeys of individuals and families who have opted to ‘do more with less.’ However, all of the shows and books available on the subject are all geared for adults. We both strongly felt that kids needed to be part of this lifestyle change as well. Through that discussion between us over the course of a few weeks, the story of Sissy Goes Tiny came together.
While in creation-mode, we agreed that the children’s picture book would need to have a deeper purpose and lesson beyond helping youngsters understand the importance of going tiny. We knew that this book needed to be a fun and captivating and fun read for kids, but we also wanted to have some subtle lessons within the pages as well. We wanted parents and kids alike to understand the process of downsizing, repurposing, and how ‘stuff is just stuff’ in a positive way. We also wanted to share the message that living unconventionally is full of big possibilities, and wherever Sissy and her parents went on their journey, they would always be home.
Thanks to BA’s wisdom, I learned a thing or two about living minimally as well. I learned that, when downsizing to prepare for tiny living, a rule of thumb is to reflect upon your “needs and wants,” and to choose to keep only the items that serve a purpose, meet a need, or bring you joy by being beautiful or sentimental.
As the former Project Manager for the diversity in children’s literacy non-profit, Multicultural Children’s Book Day, I personally felt strong that our book needed to show young readers the possibilities of life and how living tiny was not limited by gender, race, or economic status.
It was hugely important to us that kids see what is possible in this world via Sissy’s story. This could mean an Asian child scuba diving, a disabled child competing in the Olympics, or a biracial child living with her family in a tiny house.
The main character of the book is an eight-year-old girl named Sissy; a name that was chosen to pay homage to B.A.’s Tiny House, Sisu. Sisu is a Finnish word meaning having grit, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversity.
In Sissy Goes Tiny, eight-year-old Sissy and her parents make the bold choice to downsize their life and embark on a journey of living tiny and doing more with less. At first, Sissy struggles to get used to the idea of living in a tiny house on wheels and traveling around the U.S, but as she and her mommy and daddy learn about downsizing, repurposing, and how “stuff is just stuff,” she soon understands that a life of “living tiny” will be filled with the big adventures and learning.
After several weeks of brainstorming and getting the story put on paper, I decided to tap into the wisdom of a close friend and Audrey Press Publishing’s CEO, Valarie Budayr. I emailed her our very rough manuscript with no other intention other than finding out if this project had potential or not. I was blown away when she messaged me back 48 hours later saying, “This book will be a home run… and I want to publish it.”
Becky and B.A. get an Audrey Press book deal!
The months that followed were a flurry of editing, rewriting, and searching for an illustrator with the right look and feel for the book. During this time, the women applied for and received an artist’s grant thanks to Five Wings Arts Council with funds from the McKnight Foundation to help temper the costs of hiring a quality artist.
After several frustrating months of having no luck finding an available illustrator, I randomly visited an artist portfolio website and was immediately enamored by the work of New York-based children’s book illustrator, Penny Weber. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Weber’s digital illustrations that mimic the look of watercolor and traditional painting was a perfect fit for the project.
It was like she plucked Sissy from my brain. There was an illustration of an adorable, curly-haired biracial girl in her portfolio that fit our vision for Sissy to a ‘T.’ I knew she was the one to bring our book to life.
The inspiring illustration that sealed the deal! Source:https://pennyweberillustrations.com/gallery/
That sentiment continued as Sissy Goes Tiny came to life with Weber’s artistic talents, the design skills of Andy Meaden, and the experienced eye of book publisher, Valarie Budayr. Bang Printing, national book printing business that also happened to be in both our hometowns, was tapped to bring the hardcover book to life.
The result is a vibrant and colorful children’s book that includes a story of love, patience, sisu, and the desire to live the best life possible in a small setting.
DREAM BIG.
Author Signed copies of hardcover Sissy Goes Tiny books are available at HERE.
Looking for a beautiful and unconventional diverse picture book for kids? Check out the upcoming, Sissy Goes Tiny!
Sissy Goes Tiny by Rebecca Flansburg and B.A. Norrgard
In Sissy Goes Tiny, eight-year-old Sissy and her parents make the bold choice to downsize their life and embark on a journey of living tiny and doing more with less. At first, Sissy struggles to get used to the idea of living in a tiny house on wheels and traveling around the U.S, but as she and her mommy and daddy learn about downsizing, repurposing, and how “stuff is just stuff,” she soon understands that a life of “living tiny” will be filled with the big adventures and learning.
“I believe that Sissy Goes Tiny is going to open so many minds for people! A tiny house is absolutely not for everyone, but we all like to dream and step into the shoes of another lifestyle in our minds. Learning about this lifestyle I think will help people be more supportive of people who do choose to live unconventionally. Sissy and her family are a great example of that.” Co-author, B.A. Norrgard
Join us in celebrating the idea of Tiny Living and BIG Adventures!
