Big Publishing Promise From 'Tiny Acts Of Kindness'

SARATOGA, CA -- The story plays out every day to someone who develops a conscious.

Thuy Ha, an illustrator from Saratoga, left her 15-year corporate graphic design career to spread the word that simple gestures of kindness will go a long way if they're taught early in life. But in some respects, she is just using her artistic talents in a different way.

Ha, 40, released this week a children's book, "Tiny Acts of Kindness," which is published by Beaver's Pond Press in Edina, Minn., as a way to bring more loving kindness to her community.

Her town and her children, Madeline, 6, and Ty, 3, provide her with inspiration. She dedicated the book to her kids.

"Saratoga is already such a peaceful and caring community. How amazing it would be to radiate this into nearby cities, and ultimately, to the rest of the world," Ha said.

Most dreams start small.

"Tiny Acts" is beautifully illustrated with special messages illuminating the pages, from a "warm, simple smile" to a "soft wave hello." She even mentions the unforgotten pleasures in life like "toes in the sand," which sometimes go unnoticed. The book is not intended as a peruse-and-put-down-forever type of read. Fifty-two acts of kindly pleasures are listed with the intention of reading the book once a week.

"The main message here is we can do tiny things that we think don't matter, but the small things in our daily lives really matter. I feel like it's a message for children and adults," she said.

Think "pay it forward" with a new purpose.

Ha believes the message is far overdue, given society's obsessive fascination with electronic devices that some are convinced keeps us from connecting with humanity.

The book is available via database with a printed version coming out. Ha plans to market to bookstores and expressed an openness to having it sold on Amazon -- no matter what kind of cut the online retailer takes.

Ha operates Tiny Acts Studio, with information found at https://www.tiny-acts.com.