Becoming a new dad of two, I’ve realized something: simplicity is good. So after writing two books for big people. I’ve decided most of what I know can be distilled into pretty short sentences, ideally ones that rhyme.
That’s why I’m so excited to announce a series of children’s books that distill what I’ve learned to be important. Turtles Don’t Surf is the first. And though it’s written for wee ones (ages 2-6), I think adults probably need the lessons here more than kids do. (I certainly do.)
The nutshell of the cliff-hanger plot is this: In the part of the ocean where Kai the sea turtle lives, there is one rule everyone knows: Turtles Don’t Surf! But Kai is not your average sea turtle. He believes in equality, in following his heart, and he deeply distrusts authority – pretty much the formula you need for history making.
I’m especially excited about this book because I’ve chosen to self-publish, which means I control where the money goes (instead of getting just $1 per-book from my publisher). To celebrate taking the power back – trying to learn from Kai’s example here I’m donating a percentage of each sale to my favorite non-profit, Surf for Life a grass-roots organization building schools in poor coastal communities that don’t have access to a good educational facility. My wife Amy and I have done several inspiring builds with this non-profit and it’s so lean and efficient, we’ve literally helped them build whole schools in El Salvador and Nicaragua for about 30k. (See this video to learn more.)
Every book you pre-order brings down my wholesale cost. If I can sell just 300 pre-orders, I’ll be able to donate $3 per-sale to the non-profit. My goal is to sell 10k books and be able to build a whole school based solely on book sales. How cool would that be! The Turtles Don’t Surf School! (Note: the school will be for human children, not turtles, who – shhhh – actually DO surf.
I’ll be shipping the first order in November with plenty of time to get these books under the tree. So if you believe in the power of simplicity, courage, and education – and you like this little tale of a brave young turtle named Kai – please pre-order some signed copies. And check out a digital version here.
