Delta police officer by day, children's book author by night.
In both professions, Const. Grayson Smith is giving back to the communities in which he serves.
Smith has been a longtime supporter of Special Olympics BC, having participated multiple times in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run, and is now helping out through his latest book.
In There's a Norseman in the Classroom !, his latest book, children return from summer vacation to discover a new student has joined their class - and he happens to be a huge, hairy, noisy Norseman. While the kids initially reject Norm the Norseman because he is different, they learn to accept him and appreciate all the great things he brings to their classroom.
"I didn't initially have the Special Olympics in mind when I wrote the book, but after it came together, it just seemed fitting to get them involved," Smith said, adding $2 from every book sold will go towards Special Olympics.
"Special Olympics is awesome for being a super involved organization that has such an impact on so many people."
Smith said he started writing children's stories for his nieces and nephews. After writing his first illustrated children's book, he founded Peppermint Toast Publishing to help him share the story with a bigger audience. With every title released, Const. Grayson Smith's latest children's book teaches acceptance in the classroom.
Peppermint Toast Publishing looks to support a charitable organization that has a connection to the content of the story.
"Special Olympics believes in opening windows of understanding that come from challenging misconceptions and promoting familiarity and inclusion of people with disabilities, and we believe this book highlights this type of behaviour," he said.
The idea for the book came from his wife Linda's experiences as a Grade 2 teacher.
"It seems that, depending on people's attitudes, a classroom can develop into a place of either inclusion or exclusion of people who come across differently ," Smith said. "It struck me as funny to imagine a larger-than-life main character trying to figure out the social requirements of elementary school, and some of the lessons that could be drawn out from that."
Smith said response to the book has been positive.
"I work, have a family and lots of commitments, so marketing the book out of my basement is quite limited ," he admitted. "Friends and family and then generally word of mouth and the book has been pretty successful so far."
Smith added that he has other books in mind for future projects.
"It's a good hobby. I love to write and love to make a difference in the lives of other people. I think if I did another book with this character another continued partnership with Special Olympics will evolve."
You can pick up a copy of There's a Norseman in the Classroom! on Peppermint Toast Publishing's website or Amazon.ca.
For organizations that would like to purchase the book in bulk, or use it as a fundraising tool, you can contact Smith at [email protected] for details.
