13 States Down. Somehow, There Are Still 37 to Go.

California is finished.

That makes 13 Squatch Kids state books, which is both exciting and a little ridiculous when I think about the fact that I decided to make one of these for every state.

Only 37 more. No big deal.

When I started the series, the idea was pretty simple. Squatch would travel around the country, kids could color the places he visited, and I'd mix in some activities and interesting facts along the way.

The basic idea hasn't changed much.

Everything else has.

I've gotten much pickier about the places I include. I don't want every book to just be Squatch standing in front of whatever comes up first when you search for that state.

Yes, California has Yosemite, redwoods and the Golden Gate Bridge. Those places belong there.

But it also has things like Annie's Canyon, the floating homes of Sausalito, Mono Lake, Fort Ross and a giant lemon in Lemon Grove.

That's the stuff I have fun finding.

I've learned a ridiculous amount of completely random information while making these books.

I now know more about animal tracks than I did when I started. I've researched trails, bridges, local history, state symbols, plants, wildlife and roadside attractions.

California taught me that the grizzly bear is the state animal and is right there on the state flag, even though there haven't been wild grizzlies in California since the 1920s.

Arizona led to me staring at roadrunner tracks because I wanted to make sure the toes were pointing the right way.

These are things I never expected to spend time researching when I started making coloring books, but honestly, that's become part of the fun.

The books themselves have changed, too. Sometimes I'll make a page and realize there's way too much going on. Sometimes a fact sends me back down another research rabbit hole. Sometimes an activity that seemed like a good idea just doesn't work.

And sometimes I finish something, look at it again and decide I can do better.

I've gone back and updated some of the earlier books because of that.

I'm sure I'll keep finding things I want to improve. That's probably just part of making 50 of anything.

One thing I don't want to change is the curiosity behind them.

I like finding things I didn't know.

I like the idea that a kid in Michigan might color a page about somewhere in Arizona and decide they want to know more about it. Or a kid in California might discover something in their own state they'd never heard of.

Someone commented on one of my posts recently and described the series as a "Bigfoot road trip through all 50 states."

I hadn't really described it that way before, but that's pretty much it.

Squatch is taking one very long road trip.

And next he's heading to Delaware.

I've already got ideas. Fort Delaware, Trap Pond, Historic New Castle and a few others are on my list.

But this is also where I'd love some help.

If you live in Delaware, grew up there, have traveled there or just know the state really well:

Where should Squatch go?

I'm especially interested in the places that might not show up on every "Top 10 Things to Do in Delaware" list. A favorite trail. A weird roadside stop. A great place to see wildlife. A piece of history kids should know about. Something locals love.

Send it my way.

Maybe Squatch will end up there.

13 down. 37 to go.

Stay Curious.