Thank you, Hazy Dell Press, for sponsoring this post, part of Bahorich Abode's Shop Small Holiday series. I was selected for this opportunity by Hazy Dell Press; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Reading is so important in our home. Yes, we want to encourage multiple skills (including sports) for Ollie's growth and development; however, being a lover of reading myself, I have been super adamant around having books on hand throughout the house for Ollie to pick up and read. There are many nights throughout the week that Ollie, at 16 months old, will sit in the living room floor and flip through book after book on his own. He also loves for us to read to him, which just melts my heart.
I like to think that he was born with this curious wonder around literature, but honestly I know that it has been the values and time commitment from Dusty and I that has instilled his current love for reading. We model reading ourselves as he sees us reading to one another and on our own. We also have established a guideline in our home that we will stop what we are doing at pretty much any time of day if Ollie brings us a book to read.
In 2014, The American Academy of Pediatrics states that literacy promotion in the household is an essential component of primary pediatric care and advocates for reading to newborns.
Reading regularly with young children stimulates optimal patterns of brain development and strengthens parent-child relationships at a critical time in child development, which, in turn, builds language, literacy, and social-emotional skills that last a lifetime.
So there are plenty of reasons why we read often and always to Ollie. If you are looking for some great tips on how to incorporate reading into your little ones lives, I wrote a bit more about it last winter here.
One of the biggest things that shocked me as a parent is the fact that Ollie has his favorite books already. He loves stories about monsters, tractors, and funny mythical characters (along with many farm animals and puppies), which makes him more "boy" than I would have imagined. So when I stumbled upon the writings by Derek and Kyle Sullivan, I knew Ollie would just love these books. From Banshee, Krampus, and Sasquatch to ABCs presented by monsters, Ollie is loving these cute little stories so much!
Each book is a commercial-quality, 7x6", 30 pages, full color, 40 pt matte-laminated paper board book that explores the life of the character.
In Hush Now, Banshee, everyone is enjoying quiet time, but little Banshee just wants to have fun the only way she knows how: Loudly. In Goodnight Krampus, not a creature was stirring...except the mischievous Krampus who's too excited to sleep! It's Christmas Eve and Santa has a lot on his plate, but his biggest challenge is convincing little Krampus to go to bed. Brimming with holiday cheer, this is one bedtime story that's good for goodness sake. And in Get Dressed, Sasquatch, the trees are always green, the eagles are always stern and Sasquatch is always, well, naked. But what happens when a rule-touting ranger shows up to ask Sasquatch to put some clothes on? Finally, in Monster ABC, from Alien to Zombie, these gorgeously quirky monsters and silly verses will prove there's nothing to fear.
We have been loving them all so much these past few weeks. The artwork is adorable and each story is unique and easy to read. The stories create fun-oriented and imagination-driven tales for children, adults and wereturtles of all ages, and they are the perfect gift for a baby shower, little ones birthday or a Christmas gift for a little that you may know!
Plus, use the discount code, "BAHORICH" for 15% off orders over $20! It's good through December 15, 2017, so hurry to get your discount today!
Here is a little bit more about Derek and Kyle, the authors of the books of Hazy Dell Press:
How did you get your shop started?
My twin brother Kyle and I started our independent publishing company, Hazy Dell Press, in 2015. We got started with a Kickstarter campaign to fund the printing costs of our first children’s board book: Monster ABC. Since then, we’ve been able to keep the ball rolling with three subsequent books: Goodnight Krampus, Get Dressed Sasquatch and Hush Now Banshee. We were delighted with the positive response we received for Monster ABC, so we’ve continued making books featuring the same gently subversive humor, thoughtful characters and detailed illustrations that made Monster ABC more engaging and memorable than most mass-produced board books.
What is the hardest part of owning a shop?
The hardest thing is that we have so many ideas and books in mind that we’d love to create, but time is very limited. We put a lot of work into each book, so they take us about 5 months to create each one. That said, we would never hasten the process and cut corners, so although we’re not pumping out 10 titles per year, we’re still very happy and can stand behind every title with the Hazy Dell Press name on it.
What is one thing unique about you?
Having an identical twin is not “unique” per se, but it is rare, and having an identical twin as your creative partner even more so. Kyle writes all of our books and I illustrate them, so we have a pretty nice division of labor. We both concept and storyboard the books together, so it’s a very immersive and collaborative process. Having a writer with a very similar taste and style is very helpful, but “identical” is definitely a misnomer. We both bring a unique perspective and skillset to the table which is very much to the benefit of our end product.
What is the best part of owning a shop?
The response we get from customers is by far the best part. Hearing from parents that their child insists on reading Goodnight Krampus every night before bed, or hearing that “Chupacabra” is one their baby’s first words because of Monster ABC, makes everything worthwhile and lets us know that we’re on the right track. Having a positive, fun impact on children and their parents during such a formative time period is one of the deepest joys of our careers.
How did you get your shop name?
We grew up in a neighborhood in Vancouver, Wash., called Hazel Dell. One of the first stories we created together was set in a fictional version of Hazel Dell we called “Hazy Dell.” One of the stars of that story (“It’s Witching Hour in Hazy Dell”) was the Cyclops Witch, which became our publishing company’s logo and mascot.
What is one way that you keep organized?
I use sticky notes for everything. From storyboarding to grocery lists, if I have something I need to do and it’s not on a sticky note attached to my monitor, it’s probably not going to get done. As I’m saying this, I’m realizing that I should probably figure out a better way to stay organized!
How do you balance family life and work life?
Although my cat is fairly demanding, I don’t have any children so balancing work and family life is not as challenging as it could be. We have a lot going on and projects on every burner, but since we’re ultimately in charge of our schedules, we’re able to make sure that we have enough time for the important people in our lives as much as we make time for our work.
