It was the summer of 2015 and Sasha Kahn of Great Neck found herself glued to her computer screen as she watched a livestream of bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska. From more than 3,500 miles away, Kahn became familiar with many of the bears, but one stuck out to her more than the others – a young cub glued to his mom who was famously nicknamed “Velcro.”
“There was one cub in particular who had this habit of hanging on to his mother’s rear end,” Kahn said. “He was so naughty and he was so mischievous and he was so funny and there was this huge viewership of people who just sort of fell in love with this little cub.”
But Velcro inspired something within Kahn, who began to wonder about the stories of the mischievous little cub and how he got his name.
Out of that summer with the bears came Kahn’s soon-to-be-released children’s books series about a young cub named Crash as he wanders through childhood and learns lessons along the way.
Kahn, who wrote and illustrated the books, is making her author debut with the release of three children’s books this fall, each a part of the series. The first will be released by Starfish Bay Publishing on Sept. 5 and the other two will be released on Oct. 7 and Nov. 5.
The books offer an array of lessons to children, Kahn said. While at their root the books are intended to be fun and entertaining for children, Kahn said they also include STEM learning and environmental conservation teachings.
The overarching theme of the “Crash the Cub” series is creating relatable scenarios for children and “all the parts of themselves that feel like they’re challenging and difficult,” Kahn said.
“All those parts are wonderful and that’s part of what makes them who they are and that there is no part of them that’s not worthy of love and not lovable,” Kahn said. “So I think that’s the running theme throughout that all the difficult behaviors are just part of being who you are.”
She said she hopes children will be able to relate to Crash and feel seen in their endeavors.
“At its heart, it’s to speak to the condition of being a child and to give them a sense of the world, which can be bigger and better than they’ve even dreamt of yet,” Kahn said.
The first of the series, “A Cub Called Crash,” is about how one earns their name and their place in the world. While Crash claims to not be afraid of anything, Kahn said it’s about him learning that he really is and overcoming his fears.
“Crash and the Dark” is Kahn’s second book in the series, a bedtime story about Crash mastering his fears of the dark.
“It’s about being afraid of the dark and going through the dark and waking up on the other side and seeing that the light is there, the day is there and that everything is OK,” Kahn said.
The final book in the series is “I Hate Honey,” following Crash’s sudden revulsion to honey spurred by waking up on the wrong side of the bed. While he goes on a journey to right this wrong, he comes back around by the end.
“Of course, he realizes that his mother giving him honey is the sweetest thing of all,” Kahn said.
Traveling to Katmai National Park is difficult due to its remoteness, Kahn said, but being able to observe this famous natural phenomenon was made entirely possible through the explore.org livestream. Kahn said she found a great appreciation for the resources and that she hopes her books can also connect children with nature in a fun and informational way.
“These webcams are extraordinary because they open up a world that most people don’t get to see and you get to know the bears in this really extraordinary way,” Kahn said.
Kahn said during the process of writing her books she encountered numerous people who supported her on the journey. This included a member of explore.org who got her in contact with a Katmai park ranger to get more information about the bears.
Although this is Kahn’s debut as a children’s author, she has been a writer her entire life. Raised by a screenwriter and a producer, Kahn came from a theater background and wrote scripts.
“Writing has always been part of my life,” Kahn said. “I don’t think there was ever a question that I wouldn’t write.”
Kahn’s prior work catered to an older audience, though, and she said she had never previously given thought about writing for a younger audience.
While this was Kahn’s first endeavor in writing children’s books, she said she doesn’t see herself stopping yet. Kahn said she’s already drafting plans for additions to the “Crash the Cub” series.