MOTHER

Sol Frías (Bilbao, 1953) obtained a Bachelor in Fine Arts from Basque Country University in 2001. She worked for many years as an administrator, until one day she decided to quit and open her own art gallery. Since its opening, Xanon Art Gallery has exhibited dozens of international contemporary artists. The adventures of You and the Flying Squid is her first foray in the world of children’s book illustrations, and she loves it!

SON

Iván Cortázar (Bilbao, 1975) majored in Business Administration from Basque Country University. He  worked for several years as an accountant. Like his mother, he also quit to study art.  He moved to New York City and got his MFA in photography and film from the School of Visual Arts. Currently, he lives in New York City, working as a filmmaker and artist. His short films and video art have won numerous international awards and have been screened internationally. With the birth of his first son, he discovered a new facet that he did not know he had: child storyteller.

Our mission begins with our family history. One son, inspired by his son, invited his mother to create a series of children’s books, inspired by her grandson. It looks like a tongue-twister, and it’s likely to be, but it also means the start of a new adventure in the form of a family business and innovative spirit.

We work with enthusiasm to create the best and most beautiful children’s content that we can make. With our series “You and The Flying Squid,” we use new technologies to overcome some of the limitations of printed books and maximize the experience of reading children’s stories. We want to provide both parents and children with a unique experience that they can relish together.

We believe that reading stories has always been a very important part of a child’s education, and it should remain so. That is why we don’t add interactive interferences that may distract the child from what is really important: the story.

We see our stories as short immersive films, with beautiful music and sounds, in which the child can advance in the story at his or her own pace.  The child can design the desired character, from hairstyle to clothes to skin tone, among other elements. This will help the child to get really involved in the story by making immediate connections with the created alter ego, thus facilitating the assimilation of the values and concepts that the story tries to instill.

Solidarity, companionship, friendship, ecology, freedom (or equality) are a few of the topics found in our adventures, always related with humor and playful sense. Ultimately, we want our apps to be a great tool that parents can use to communicate with their child, while playing and learning with them.