The Happy Camper: My New Children’s Book, A Spark of Courage
My latest book—my 20th book to date—was my daughter’s idea. Kyla thought it should be a kids book on how time in the outdoors helps cure anxiety. She’s a 20 year old university student, majoring in English Lit, and she fondly remembers her time spent—anxiety free—on lengthy canoe trips with her dad, paddling across a misty lake, flowing with the current on a remote river, listening to the loons in the early morning, watching a gorgeous sunset, being mesmerized by a crackling campfire and even swatting bugs and hauling a hefty pack on the portage.
She was who she was out there. No facade. Being away from the civilized world actually calmed Kyla and let her be her true self.
That’s what my new book is all about—A Spark of Courage.
Pre-teen Paul heads out on a canoe trip with his Uncle Roy. The uncle isn’t the saving grace. That would be too easy. He’s just there to take Paul out to experience it all—just as Uncle Roy did when he was a kid. It’s actually the animal characters introduced in the book that aid Paul, without him knowing it of course. The bear, the fox and the squirrel teach Paul the tips and tricks on how to “thrive” rather than “survive” out in the wilderness.
When reading the book, take note that halfway through the trip, Paul’s hoodie is lowered and he’s ahead of his uncle on the portages, cooking his uncle breakfast, successfully running rapids, hanging the bear rope properly, lighting the campfire, tying perfect knots, catching fish and basically enjoying being out there rather than back home with his cellphone.
I wrote a statement in the back of A Spark of Courage that explains my reasoning for the book:
“Anxiety levels in our youth are increasing dramatically. Some think it’s too much time spent on screens and online, worrying about how they appear to others. I think it is simpler than that. I think kids these days need more time spent outdoors. We are all born from nature—every living being on this planet originally comes from wilderness. But now, more than ever before, far too many of us are separated from it. Wilderness places are sacred—they need to be loved and they need to be protected. They are also places of healing. We need wilderness to help fix our ever-growing issues with mental and physical health. Wilderness can magically transform us and heal us. I believe in that!”
The extremely talented illustrator Cliff McArdle believes in the same. He wrote:
“Life can bring on stress, dismay and deep anxiety. A wilderness canoe trip calms the nerves. The simplicity of it all allows you time to slow down, reflect and sort out your true self. The more time spent reconnecting with nature, the less anxious you will become. Wilderness is always there, quietly waiting to help.”
The book is self-published/printed through IngramSpark. All the publishers I sent it to declined the concept, stating that a book on how anxiety in youth can be healed by time spent in nature wouldn’t sell. So, I invested in it myself—and it’s selling like S’mores around a campfire.
A Spark of Courage is now available on Amazon, and brick and mortar stores. Canadian Outdoor Equipment is having the official launch on May 4.
Check out the video of it on my KCHappyCamper YouTube channel.
