Want a children’s book to read to your kid? (Not that they’ll have any trouble falling asleep after ripping around all day.) Try “Eli and Mort’s Epic Adventures Steamboat,” detailing the rail-grinding exploits of young Eli and his best friend Mort the Moose (who’s a stuffed animal when the parents are around. When Eli goes big, Mort goes bigger, each pushing themselves to have as much fun in Steamboat as possible — from night skiing and hitting the jumps at Howlesen Hill to soaking in hot springs and grabbing ice cream at Lyon’s Drug. Bonus: All the illustrations are by local children. “I worked with the local Art District and school art programs to recruit the kids to draw the illustrations,” says co-author Ken Nager, adding professional illustrator Eduardo Paj helped choose which ones to use — selecting 32 out of the 50 submitted. “It was a competition but was tough because they were all great. Afterwards, Eduardo placed Eli and Mort into them.
“Working with the local kids is the highlight,” he adds. “It’s amazing to see what they come up with and how they view Steamboat, which is one of my favorite towns.” Info: www.eliandmort.com
