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Sissy Goes Tiny

Happy Second Birthday to Sissy Goes Tiny!

{Guest post from Sissy Goes Tiny co-author, Becky Flansburg)

Sissy Goes Tiny\

Happy 2nd birthday to Sissy Goes Tiny! What a wild ride it\’s been!

It started as a nugget of an idea between myself and bestie, B.A. Norrgard one sunny afternoon on the patio of a small-town pub. I had been in total admiration of B.A.\’s tiny house living adventure for years and had even written a few magazine articles about her lifestyle shift. After over two decades of working in the paralegal field, B.A. was now living her best life as she towed her under 100 square foot home (dubbed \”Sisu\”) behind her truck and traveled nationwide teaching classes on living small and minimalism.

She was (and still is) a passionate and recognizable presence in the Tiny House community and her dedication to showing others how to \”do more with less\” blew my mind.

B.A. Norrgard \

I, on the other hand, was the polar opposite. I couldn\’t imagine living tiny unless I could do it ALONE and pull an extra trailer (or two) just to house my vast book collection!

But what I did know was the children\’s book publishing industry. As someone who was immersed fully into the world of children\’s books through my work with Audrey Press and the global diversity in children\’s literature non-profit, Multicultural Children\’s Book Day, I also saw a need for a book that helped kids understand the process of downsizing nomadic travel. I had been told for years that I \”need to write a book,\” but I couldn\’t come upon a topic that piqued my interest. That all changed when I asked B.A. if she was up for the challenge of co-authoring a book for kids on the subject of families and tiny house living.

She said yes.

Several brainstorming meetings later, and several notebooks filled with scribbled notes and possible content, along with a rough plan of what message we wanted to achieve in our humble little picture book, we pulled the first draft of what would later become Sissy Goes Tiny together.

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Unsure if we were nuts, or actually onto something, I offered to reach out to Valarie here at Audrey Press for no other reason than to ask if our book \”had legs.\”

It took around 48 hours for Valarie to respond and when she did she said, \”I this book is a home run. And I want to publish it!\”

I swear, angels sang at that moment.

Fast forward a whirlwind 14 months and our hardcover diverse picture book officially rolled off the presses and came to life.

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Two years later, we are still incredibly grateful.

Grateful to have family, friends, and spouses who have cheered us on during the creation and publishing of Sissy Goes Tiny.

Grateful that@valariebudayr, CEO of @audreypressbooks, saw the potential in this book and took us under her wing.

Grateful that we were able to work with creative and brilliant people like illustrator Penny Weber, book designer Andy Meaden, and editor Mallory Adamson.

Grateful that this project was supported by the Five Wings Arts Council with funds from the McKnight Foundation.

And grateful to be following in the footsteps of all of the luminaries and innovators in the tiny house community who show us daily what community really means while being advocates and examples of an unconventional style of living that is beneficial in so many ways (mental health and for Mother Earth!)

We appreciate all of you in more ways than you will ever know! Celebrate \”Birthday #2\” with us!

A Message from Audrey Press CEO, Valarie Budayr

It makes me very proud to know that Sissy Goes Tiny has had the most beautiful impact among bi-racial children–that, to us, is golden.

We are very aware that kids need to see themselves in the books they read (whether it is scuba diving, competing in sports, or living in a tiny house) it makes our hearts swell with pride when little girls see the cover and exclaim with excitement, \”She looks like me!\”  

Now officially an \”award-winning book,\” we are very proud that Sissy Goes Tiny garnered a Second Place win in Green/Environment Books for Kids and an Honorable Mention in Best Illustrations from the Purple Dragonfly Awards in 2020.

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us on this wonderful journey. We know Sissy will be a catalyst for change and great conversations for many years to come.

Sissy Goes Tiny for Summer Reading!

Looking for a beautiful and unconventional diverse picture book for kids? Check out, Sissy Goes Tiny!

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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.

You can read the full story of this journey here.

\”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

Purchased a signed copy of Sissy Goes Tiny on Audrey Press or secure your hardcover or ebook copies on Amazon.com