How 3 different TRAGEDIES led to the creation of Randall the blue spider goes surfing
Randall the Blue Spider Goes Surfing is officially a published children’s book. One that we never thought would be a reality. It started off as an adorable rambling story by a two-year-old but was turned into a real-life book due to unfortunate circumstances.
Thankfully, this story has a happy ending, just like the Randall the Blue Spider Goes Surfing book:
Three years ago, the Bull family was on a trip to Long Beach to see Ryeson’s grandpa, who was in the hospital due to a cycling accident. Just after a visit to the ocean park in downtown Seal Beach, Ryeson was telling stories about how it would be funny to see a spider go surfing, but that it might be nervous if people were watching.
While waiting for Ryeson’s dad to come back out of the hospital, Shana began to record her toddler’s musings in the parking lot (Rye wasn’t allowed in because his cystic fibrosis means he has to be extra careful about germs), and Randall the Blue Spider Goes Surfing was born.
Right in the middle of 2020, Shana discovered she had anal cancer and had to spend part of the pandemic in radiation and chemo treatments, leaving Shana bedridden for a month and a half from anal cancer treatment in August and September 2020. She had to say goodbye to several of her clients during treatment and recovery. After spending the first part of the pandemic interviewing small business friends of hers who had to make pivots in their own businesses, she was ready for her own pivot.
The book became a reality when she connected with Krista Huber, the owner of East 26th Publishing, a contemporary indie book publisher. After cancer treatment and months of the pandemic, Shana was ready to pivot her career, and Randall came along at just the right time.
About Randall the Blue Spider Goes Surfing Book
Randall the Blue Spider Goes Surfing is for kids of all ages who love outdoor activities, bugs (spiders especially), ice cream, and friends. It's also for kids who aren't fans of bugs—just watch as Randall wins their hearts and spiders like him suddenly seem less scary. In addition to colorful, fun graphics, the book teaches children how to name their fears and overcome them by offering simple coping mechanisms…and lots of silliness!
If it wasn’t for Ryeson’s grandpa getting into a cycling accident (which he is fully recovered from btw) which led the Bull family to drive from the Bay Area to Long Beach to visit him in the hospital, Ryeson’s cystic fibrosis, so he couldn’t go into the hospital at all due to potential germs, and Shana’s cancer treatment where she had to say goodbye to long term clients and hello to a new opportunity — this book may have never been created.
It is a good reminder that you can turn lemons into lemonade if you look at life a bit differently. <3