Local author launches children’s book and Cake Kindness Challenge for kids
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IONA — A local author and businesswoman is preparing to launch her fifth children’s picture book, pairing its message of kindness and compassion with a hands-on challenge designed to help kids put those values into action.
Jeana Atkison, founder of Paper Seed Press, will launch “How to Bake a Cake” this spring in collaboration with Icing Smiles, a national nonprofit that provides custom cakes and treats to children facing critical illness.
Alongside the book’s release, Atkison is launching the Cake Kindness Challenge for Kids, an initiative that encourages families to use baking to show care and generosity to others.
Teaching kindness through story
Atkison, a mother of four who loves reading to children, said the idea for the book grew out of a gap she noticed while reading to her own kids.
“I wasn’t finding many children’s books that truly engaged kids while teaching kindness and empathy and then encouraging them to put that kindness into action,” she said. “So I decided to start writing my own.”
That decision led Atkison to launch Paper Seed Press, a publishing company focused on stories that nurture compassion, connection, and emotional awareness in young readers.
Atkison says “How to Bake a Cake” continues that mission, using gentle storytelling and colorful illustrations to explore the idea that baking can be about more than following a recipe.
“Rather than focusing on measurements and instructions, the book explores baking as an act of love,” Atkison said. “It encourages kids to think about who they’re baking for and why.”
Partnering with Icing Smiles
Paper Seed Press partnered with Icing Smiles, an organization Atkison previously wrote for, after discovering shared values between the two groups. Icing Smiles provides custom cakes and treats to children facing critical illness, offering families moments of joy and celebration during difficult times.
“Baking has always been a way for Icing Smiles volunteers to connect with families during some of life’s hardest moments,” Atkison said. “This book grew out of that same belief that small acts of kindness can mean everything.”
Atkinson said “How to Bake a Cake” focuses on children who miss being able to play with a friend undergoing cancer treatment, making the Cake Kindness Challenge especially meaningful for kids who may be struggling with how to support a friend facing serious illness, including cancer.
Turning kindness into action through baking
Pre-orders for “How to Bake a Cake” open Feb. 1, coinciding with the launch of the Cake Kindness Challenge.
The challenge encourages children, with help from an adult, to bake and decorate a cake and then deliver it as a purposeful act of kindness. The recipient could be a neighbor, teacher, friend, or someone in need of encouragement.
“Baking a cake and giving it away teaches cooking skills, creativity, compassion and generosity,” Atkison said. “Small thoughtful gestures can create a lasting impact on people.”
While the challenge is free, families who participate will also have the option to contribute to a “Cake Kindness Challenge Cookbook” for a minimal fee.
More information about How to Bake a Cake, pre-orders, and participation in the Cake Kindness Challenge, go to Cake Kindness Challenge
Shop for Atkison’s books here: Paper Seed Press
Atkison’s books can also be purchased locally at Winnie and Mo’s Bookshop in Idaho Falls and The Cocoa Bean in Ammon.
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