Pro Skateboarder Writes Skateboarding Book for Children

From an early age, children are often encouraged to try out new sports like football, hockey, and baseball. However, parents aren’t usually too eager to encourage their little ones to try more extreme past times such as boxing, surfing or, in this case, Skateboarding. It’s understandable that parents might hesitate to expose their child to a sport that can lead to lost teeth and broken bones, but that’s exactly what one professional skateboarder has done with his children’s book ‘My First Skateboard’.

40-year-old professional skateboarder Karl Watson has been skating since the early 90’s and has made a living skating for numerous high profile skating brand around the world. Now a father to four children, Watson wants to pass on his passion to the next generation and inspire kids to take up the sport.

Watson teamed up with cartoonist Henry Jones to create a children’s book about Skateboarding which teaches young ones about the value of getting back up when you fall and finding yourself in a community that shares your passion. Watson and Jones drew inspiration from their early days of skateboarding and capture the fun that can be had. No competitions, bullies, or money, just the pure joy of skating.

In a recent interview with Vice.com, Watson explained that he decided to write the book to convey to young readers what a positive impact skating has had on his life. He explained that he also wanted to show the importance of trial and error and how skateboarding literally teaches you the value of getting back up when you fall. He also wanted to show how skateboarding can appeal to people from all walks of life, regardless of race, age, or gender.