CAROL STREAM, ILL.—June 15, 2018—Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuck, coauthors of the award-winning title I’ll Push You (Tyndale Momentum, June 2017), will be attending the Abilities Expo in Schaumburg, IL, June 29–July 1. In addition to their appearance at the Abilities Expo, Gray and Skeesuck will be touring the Chicago area sharing their message about powerful friendship that knows no bounds in their new release for children, The Push (Tyndale Kids, April 2018). The Push, written by Gray and illustrated by Skeesuck, is a complementary title to I’ll Push You, which the authors hope broadens their story of extraordinary friendship to reach the hearts of children.
I’ll Push You documents the lifelong friendship between these two men and their impossible dream—tackling together a 500-mile pilgrimage through Spain known as the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St. James. While most people attempt this epic journey on foot, Justin traveled the entire distance in his wheelchair, pushed (and sometimes carried) by Patrick (and others). This incredible story garnered national media attention on NBC’s Today and NBC’s Megyn Kelly Today.
With the release of their second book, The Push, Gray and Skeesuck hope to extend this important message of friendship and inclusion to kids. The Push teaches kids that people of all abilities have important roles to play and that we are all better together than we are on our own.
Kristi Gravemann, Marketing Manager for Tyndale Kids, says, “The Push children’s book is based on Justin and Patrick’s inspiring, real-life friendship. We hope this book encourages children of all abilities to see that we each have gifts and talents to offer one another and that we all have something meaningful to contribute. We are thrilled that Justin and Patrick will be in the Chicago area spreading this hope-filled message to families.”
During their Chicago tour, Gray and Skeesuck will be sharing their story at the following locations:
Wednesday, June 27:
- 10:30am Ronald McDonald House (Chicago) for book donation
Thursday, June 28:
- 10:30am AMITA Women and Children’s (Hoffman Estates) story time
- 2:30pm Ronald McDonald House (Winfield) book donation
- 3:15pm Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital for story time and book donation
Friday, June 29:
- 11:00am–4:00pm Abilities Expo (Schaumburg)
Saturday, June 30:
- 11:00am–4:00pm Abilities Expo
- 1:30pm Story time on main stage; book signing to follow
Sunday, July 1:
- 10:15am Lurie Children’s Hospital for story time and book donation
- 12:30p–4:00pm Abilities Expo
- 1:30pm Story time on main stage; book signing to follow
Tyndale House Publishers, founded in 1962, is one of the largest privately held Christian publishers of books, Bibles, and digital media in the world. Tyndale Kids, Family, & Youth was formed out of Dr. Ken Taylor’s desire to make God’s Word more accessible to his children. This legacy continues with our award-winning and bestselling picture books, devotions, and Bible storybooks that encourage kids and families to grow closer to God. Originally founded to publish The Living Bible, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible that became a global publishing phenomenon, Tyndale now publishes the Holy Bible, New Living Translation (NLT), the translation of choice for millions of people.
For media inquiries: contact Amanda Woods at 630-784-5125 or amandawoods@tyndale.com
