Hi, I’m Dave Sopp. I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid. I just loved thinking up and doodling silly things. So, I thought up ways to keep doing it. And along the way I got to be an award-winning advertising art director, an illustrator, and co-founder of the funny baby gift company Wry Baby (wrybaby.com). I also got to make a lot of books, like the best-selling new parent’s guide, Safe Baby Handling Tips, and the markedly analog Hey, I Love You...Bookmark Your Way to a Remarkable Marriage.

I made up the drawing games in Doodle Book Club over 20 years ago as a goofy way to keep my young son and I entertained. They were so fun (and easy) to play that when he grew out of them, I kept playing – with kid’s of family, friends, and neighbors (I became a very popular kid’s-table guest at gatherings). This summer my wife finally convinced me to compile those games into something shareable. Only then did I stumble across why they were so fun for kids in the first place. It was the science of how out-of-the-box thinking (a.k.a. "divergent thinking*") is actually vital, how little kids are great at it (until they aren't), how to help foster divergent thinking, and, and, and...there's a ton of knowledge out there about kids' creative thinking that I had NO idea about. And this from a guy who raised a kid while making a living thinking creatively!

And that's why Doodle Book Club. Kids have a TON of fun playing these games. And the fact that it's doing WAY more for kids than giving them a silly afternoon of fun? Chef's kiss. Oh, and I'm still geeking out on the science I keep finding. I'll be sharing the most interesting parts on the last page of each issue of Doodle Book Club and on Instagram (@DoodleBookClub) if you want to follow along.

* Land, G., & Jarman, B. (1993). Breakpoint and beyond: Mastering the future today. HarperBusiness.