Bestselling Author Tyler Knott Gregson and Co-Author Sarah Linden Celebrate True Spirit of Christmas With ‘North Pole Ninjas: Mission: Chrismas!,’ a New Holiday Book and Tradition, Coming This Fall From Penguin Young Readers
New York, NY – This year children can celebrate the true spirit of Christmas by becoming an honorary North Pole Ninja, in a new holiday tradition with NORTH POLE NINJAS: MISSION: Christmas! (Grosset & Dunlap), a gorgeously illustrated picture book that chronicles the legend of the North Pole Ninjas. This interactive holiday story, written by bestselling poet and author Tyler Knott Gregson and Sarah Linden and illustrated by Piper Thibodeau, comes with 50 top-secret missions of caring and kindness, along with a huggable “sensei” plush to help guide young ninjas on their missions.
Missions are simple and universal. Some examples include:
- “Sweep the floors without saying a word. Enjoy the looks of surprise on your family’s faces!”
- “Pay one nice compliment to each person you see today. Be honest and be kind.”
- Sit and chat with a new friend at lunch. Make them feel happy.”
“North Pole Ninjas, and all of the missions that we’ve included in this little package, were all born in the same place,” said co-author Sarah Linden. “A few years back, both Tyler and I were really starting to make charity, and giving back, a much larger part of our lives, and a much more important part of the entire holiday season. After taking a long, honest look at how the holidays had seemed to change and evolve since we were kids, we decided we wanted to infuse a lot more positivity and compassion into it.
The book and missions ask that families think not just about “naughty or nice” but challenge them to further the holiday spirit by giving back to their communities, whether it be teachers, friends, in their homes, or in their larger communities. Grosset & Dunlap president and publisher Francesco Sedita said, “What makes North Pole Ninjas so exciting is that it’s all about the spirit of the holidays. There’s no recording of what we may have done right or wrong and what we are deserving of from Santa here. Instead, the book and missions sweetly challenge readers to help make people happy and their world a better place. That is what true holiday spirit is all about!”
Anyone who receives the North Pole Ninja box is called upon to help carry out top secret missions with a bit of stealth and an open heart. The picture book retells the ancient legend the North Pole Ninjas use for new recruits. After reading the book, readers are given their own Ninja missions to carry out: 50 special tasks packed in a special envelope.
NORTH POLE NINJAS: MISSION: Christmas! is scheduled for publication on October 18, 2016.
Tyler Knott Gregson is a best-selling poet, author, professional photographer, and artist who lives in the mountains of Helena, Montana. He is the author of Chasers of the Light: Poems from the Typewriter Series and the upcoming All the Words Are Yours.
Sarah Linden is a poet and photographer with Treehouse Photography. She lives in Helena, Montana.
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