Sissy Goes Tiny by Rebecca Flansburg and BA Norrgard!
A diverse picture book about a family that chooses to live Tiny and do More with Less.
**This project was supported by Five Wings Arts Council with funds from the McKnight Foundation.
Eight-year-old Sissy loves her life. She loves her toys, her Big house, and her Big backyard. But when Sissy’s parents decide they are going to live in a Tiny House on wheels and travel around the U.S., Sissy isn’t sure that she will like the idea of “living tiny.” But as she and her mommy and daddy learn about downsizing, repurposing, and how “stuff is just stuff” in a positive way, Sissy soon understands that living Tiny has BIG possibilities; possibilities for all sorts of adventures and learning.
Written by Rebecca Flansburg and BA Norrgard, both Minnesotans (who have been friends for over 30 years), Sissy Goes Tiny was created to share the idea and process of “going Tiny” from a child’s perspective.
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.
Sissy’s name was chosen for the main character to pay homage to Norrgard’s Tiny House, Sisu.
“Sisu is a Finnish word meaning having grit, determination, and perseverance in the face of adversity,” Norrgard recalled. “I had my tiny home a few years before I named her and at first, I couldn’t think of a fitting name. Then my mom died. She was Finnish and she had a lot of sisu. The name for my 78-square-foot home suddenly became clear.”
In Praise of Sissy Goes Tiny
“In a time where folks are encouraged to buy more, have more, and be more, Sissy Goes Tiny captures the idea: we can be happy with less. Many people feel “less than” when they have to change homes, or feel they are otherwise losing ‘the big Oak trees in the yard.’ But we can learn from change… it can be good for a thousand reasons. Cheers to the authors. This is wonderful. Sissy Goes Tiny teaches us that HOME is bigger than a space and bigger than the people who live there; HOME is where you love with all your heart, whatever shape HOME takes, whatever size… where you can be YOU with your big juicy heart, that is home.” Dee Williams, Tiny House Living thought leader and CEO of PadTinyHouses.com
“While everyone’s path to tiny living is different, Sissy Goes Tiny is a great book to open the conversation with kids of all ages about downsizing toward a life of experiences” ~ Macy Miller–mother to two, tiny house adventurer, and CEO of MiniMotives.com
About The Authors
In 2012, bucking societal exceptions and following her inner guidance, B.A. (Beth Ann) Norrgard shed her paralegal costume after 26 years in a downtown high rise and hand-built her tiny house. She is a passionate advocate for others following their dreams and letting go of societal conditioning, and being free to live a larger life in a smaller space. BA is a doer. She has traveled over 14,000 miles with her house and writes about her minimalist, vegan life on her website, banorrgard.com
Rebecca is the long-time project manager of Multicultural Children’s Book Day and Head Elf for Audrey Press. She is also an author, freelance writer, and blogger from Minnesota who writes about parenthood topics and being a solopreneur. She is mom to two humans and critter mom to way too many pets. Rebecca credits her quick wit and positive outlook on life for keeping her sane and successful. She is a member of Brainerd Writers Alliance and readers can also find her at BeckyFlansburg.com or on Instagram.
About The Illustrator
Penny Weber is a full-time illustrator from Long Island, New York, where she’s lived all of her life. She creates digital illustrations that mimic the look of watercolor and traditional painting. Penny attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City where she studied graphic design and illustration. In 2007 quickly signed with Wendy Mays and Janice Onken to be represented by WendyLynn & Company, (www.wendylynn.com). Penny has illustrated many books for the trade and educational market.
Within the Pages of Sissy Goes Tiny:
When creating Sissy Goes Tiny, both authors had very specific messages and lessons they wanted to convey to readers of all ages:
*The act of “going tiny” or downsizing/minimizing from a child’s perspective.
*Mommy and Daddy are excited about the tiny house lifestyle, but 8-year-old Sissy isn’t so sure.
*The child in the story “loves her life” and continue to do so even when their lifestyle and living situation changes
*Touch on the process of downsizing, repurposing, and how “stuff is just stuff” in a positive way
*The underlying lesson throughout the whole story is that living Tiny has BIG possibilities and can open up life to all sorts of adventures and learning.
*When keeping things “beautiful and useful” how different that might look to a child.
*She knew that her family’s new tiny adventure was full of big possibilities, and wherever they went on their journey, they would always be home.
Grab your copy of this wonderful hardcover, diverse picture book ASAP via this website or on Amazon.com!
