Dad, I’m Bored
Dad, I’m Bored.
So, I’m writing a children’s book. And this is the star, Millie ☝️.
Yes, yes. I know what you’re thinking. “Bro, aren’t your books all about the shooty shooting and the punchy punching?”
To which I would reply, “There’s a time for bada$$ women flying around the galaxy saving the day, and there’s a time for giving a little something to the writers of tomorrow — so that one day they’ll write about their own bada$$ women flying around the galaxy saving the day.”
As one-half of the parents of two energetic, attention seeking but seldom attention paying pre-schoolers, I’ve spent a fair amount of time researching ways to keep them entertained. And no matter how many new Xmas toys they receive, how many times they watch Moana on repeat, or how many activity classes we force them to attend against their will — there eventually comes and time when every parent hears the same thing.
‘I’m Bored.’
That’s the starting point for this book. Millie has played with every toy she has in her room and yet, finds herself bored of them. She heads off to playschool to have fun with her friends, but when the time comes to go home, she dreads the idea of going back into her room where she’ll be bored once again.
To change her mind, her friends tell her all about the fun they have in their rooms. Not by playing with toys, but by using their imagination.
And this is the point where things get all crazy again, as we go on a ride through the imagination of each of Millie’s friends, as they show off how a simple pretend game with their Dad’s become amazing journeys in their imagination. We’ll see the girls become everything from Superheroes and Pirates, to Astronauts and more. All fueled by the power of imagination.
Here’s a little taste of what you can expect to see, where Millie’s friend Rochelle is having a blast as she rockets her way through space and saves the day from Aliens.
It’s like a sneak peek inside Rochelle’s imagination. She may just be pretending, but that doesn’t make the fun any less exciting! And on the next page, we see the real world that Rochelle has embellished. The building blocks of her imagination.
It’s nice and simple; her in a self-decorated cardboard ship that her Dad helped her build. But it shows just how far your imagination can take you.
Anyway, just thought I’d share our new project with you!
I say ‘our’ because I’ve saved the most important part for last, as every great kid’s book needs a great illustrator. Mine is Kayla Coombs.
She’s literally one of the most awesome Pencillers you’re ever likely to find. She draws some of the cutest and most kicka$$ things imaginable and I can’t wait for you all to see the rest of the book and how fantastic the artwork is. Kayla might just have a better imagination than any of the girls in our book! Not to mention that working with her is a blast. Waiting for her emails to arrive is the most exciting part of the week.
A post shared by Kayla Coombs (@kaylacoombs) on Dec 11, 2017 at 1:08am PST
You can find her and more of her awesome artwork on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/kaylacoombs/. (Had to post this grown-up Buttercup she created. Because, well, it’s awesome. And so is Buttercup.)
Kayla and I also connected with the common vision of showcasing the power of imagination. It’s one of the most important and liberating creative outlets a person, young or old, can harness. And we aim to take you on a journey of thought, love, family, and fun when it’s all finished.
So, what adventures will the children go on? And will Millie be able to use her own imagination?
If you’d like to see more and/or join my focus group to read it and give feedback, you can contact me by:
Email: RCrawford2057@gmail.com
Twitter: RyanAshCrawford
Instagram: RyanAshCrawford
And you can get more updates if you sign up for my newsletter:
Thanks for reading!
Ryan
Originally published at www.racrawford.com.
