64°F
weather icon Clear

Story tellers corner: Tale takes children on ‘Journey’ of hope, adventure

Finding and affording a new place to live can be one of the most difficult and stressful things to do when you’re moving, and one Boulder City resident came up with a unique solution when she moved to town from across the country.

Then she turned it into a children’s book.

In 2017, Hannah Doss lived in Tennessee when she was hired as the program coordinator of outdoor services at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Doss said she was always moving to places where she didn’t know anybody and housing was expensive. So she decided to fulfill her dream of building a tiny home for her move to Boulder City.

“I was tired of getting roommates off of Craigslist,” she said.

Once she made the decision, she set out to find a something she could use for a tiny home. She ended up going to a railroad auction where her father had worked. While there, she found an old railroad car and purchased it for $250.

“It’s where the workers would sleep before the unions put them up in hotels,” she said.

After the purchase, she and her family spent three months and about $9,000 renovating the trailer that she named Journey. They finished it just in time to make the trek across the country.

“We finished the day before we drove from Tennessee to Vegas,” she said.

It was during that long drive that Doss said she came up with the idea to write a story about transforming the railroad car into her tiny home.

“I was just bored in the car,” she said.

To help pass the time, she starting writing the story with her mom. Doss said it took three hours to complete “How Journey Came to be a Tiny House for Me.” All the words rhyme, and the story encourages children to get outside and shows how to give secondhand items a new purpose (because almost everything in it Doss purchased secondhand).

It also has an overarching theme of hope.

“I think it has a message of you can make your dreams come true if you work hard enough,” said Doss.

Even though the story was finished in 2017, Doss, who is also an artist, said it wasn’t until the quarantine that she was able to create all of the illustrations. After completing those, she self-published the book.

She said she wants to make a series of books about Journey, the trailer, and has already written the second one. She is hoping to take Journey to other states and visit national parks there. She said she plans to incorporate outdoor education into the stories for children and inspire adventure for them.

“How Journey Came to Be a Tiny House for Me” is available for purchase on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/How-Journey-Came-Tiny-House/dp/B08P29D4MX#ace-g2545694624.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Season of giving at BCHS

If you live in Boulder City, you know the community is very busy during the holidays, especially winter holidays.

Taking a look at diabetes

Did you know that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises people with diabetes to get a flu vaccination to prevent flu and serious flu complications and recommends people with diabetes who have flu infection or suspect flu infection be promptly treated with antiviral treatment.

Building a growth mindset at King

Sometimes as adults we can spend too much time focusing on “wins” and “losses.” This is true in education as well.

Busy fall season at Garrett Junior High

As we wrap up the fall season at Garrett Junior High, there’s so much to celebrate.

Sometimes simple appliance DIY can spare you costly service calls

Wasn’t I embarrassed when I couldn’t figure out why my friend’s dishwasher wouldn’t start. I troubleshot as best as I could, given my limited time visiting her. It was getting power, the door was closed properly, yet when I pressed “start,” it just wouldn’t. I advised her to call a local appliance repair company. $85 later she was informed that it somehow went into its “locked function.” Simply holding down the Heat/Dry button for three seconds unlocks it. That’s all it needed. Boy did I feel dumb. I mean, I’m the Toolbelt Diva, after all.

A look into Día De Los Muertos at BCHS

For nearly a decade, Boulder City High School has created a tradition in their Spanish Honors classes to build ofrendas in honor of the Spanish holiday, Día De Los Muertos also known as Day of the Dead.

Calculating breast cancer risk

Absolute risk versus relative risk and what you need to know about calculating the risk of developing breast cancer. Let’s define both and gauge the risk.

Staff, students impress principal

Andrew J. Mitchell recently earned a spot on the Clark County School District Superintendent’s Honor Roll. It was a pleasure to accept this award on behalf of the staff, students, and families of Mitchell Elementary.

Country Store expects big crowd this weekend

Over the last seven-plus decades, Grace Community Church’s Country Store has gone from a simple bake sale to one of the largest yard sales in the area.