Wednesday, February 12, 2014

A dream come true!

I have always wanted to write a book. I guess the closest I have come is writing this blog each day. Still I wish I had it in book form to share with Others...when they may have to go down the same roads. But the next best thing for me ...is to have one of my kids publish a book.
When our son Brad served his Mission for our church, he was called to the Philippines and he loved the people that he taught. I was thrilled to hear when he and his wife Krystal decided to write this book to help the people in the Philippines after the typhoon Haiyan hit. I knew it would not stay a dream too long, with Brad as an illustrator and Krystal as a writer...it was destined to happen. So here it is. I am not asking you to send in a pledge or anything, but as a Mom I am just very proud of them... and I am just excited to remember ...that dreams really do come true.
Plus, you can see my sweet grandson on the video HERE:


Tatay's Gift is a story about a little boy who learns from his dad that true happiness comes from a life of giving.
Have you ever watched the news after a disaster in the world and felt helpless in being able to make a difference? Have you ever wondered how in the world you can teach your children to be giving and to serve? We had the same questions after hearing about typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. We wanted so badly to do something to help, and wanted to be able to teach our son that he doesn’t have to be helpless in these situations. We decided that by using our skills as an illustrator and a writer, both of those things could be accomplished, which was how Tatay’s Gift came about. Tatay’s Gift is not only a fun story about a boy and his dad, but it is a way to teach children about giving.
In Tatay’s Gift we get to join a young Filipino boy as he goes out to work each day with his Tatay (Tatay is the Tagalog word for dad). The boy and is Tatay do a different job each day of the week, from selling popsicles by the beach to driving a Jeepney through the city. As they work, he learns the lesson of serving and giving to others by watching his Tatay everyday. This vibrant, and colorfully illustrated book is based on stories from Brad’s time spent in the Philippines and the wonderful people he met there. Tatay’s Gift not only celebrates the hardworking, loving, kind, and giving attitudes of the Filipino people, but it also teaches the valuable lesson of giving back to to your community and helping those in need.
Our mission is to teach the important message of giving and serving each other. It is so easy once the news moves on and the cameras turn off to also move on and forget those who are still in need. It is even easier to detach ourselves from the suffering in the world because it is so far away, or not directly affecting us. Our hope is to at least teach our kids to feel like they have an obligation to help others and care about other’s situations and not just be passive about the things they hear about on the news. We want to teach about unity and loves and the importance of helping out, coming together, and supporting each other. The next generation is going to change this world, and we believe that a wonderful way to reach them is through reading and illustration. Just like Tatay teaches “a life of giving is the best life indeed.”
We need your help to make this book a reality and get the first print run completed. We also would like to raise enough money to allow us to be able to move forward with our mission and help those who still need help after typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. There is still a demand for basic needs such as water, shelter, and medical attention. We also plan on continuing to spread the message of positive morals, and community lessons through children’s books.
Budget Breakdown:
 - printing costs of a first run
 - printing of other assets in reward tiers
- shipping/packaging costs
- fees from Kickstarter and Amazon
 - obtaining the ISBN number, registration fees, and copyrighting fees

Limited Edition Screen Print by Ty Wilkins

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