Our Story
This is more than a book about a dog who saves Christmas. This is a story about unlikely heroes and perseverance, on many levels. Starting with the imagination of an eight-year old girl, on a mission to create her first book, against all odds. About a father laid off amidst the pandemic and still pressing on to make this book happen. Overcoming quarantines, a scoliosis diagnosis, steep learning curves, an 11th hour rewrite and a journey that took them from New York to Mumbai and back again (virtually). This book’s backstory is filled with as many obstacles as there are on the pages within. Hopefully it will serve as an inspiring reminder, that if you put your heart and mind into anything, that everything is possible.
“Huge ideas can come from little places.”
— Ari Halper
About us
Reya and Ari Halper are a father and daughter writing duo. A lot of fun, love, and laughter went into the creation of this book, and it greatly strengthened their bond. Hopefully this is something you will feel and see come alive on the pages within. It’s also a backstory that we hope other kids and families will find inspiring, because Feliz Navidog was truly Reya’s idea. As for a little bit more on each of us, Reya recently turned nine years old and lives with her family in Westport, Connecticut. She is half Turkish, half American and 100 percent all about animals and creativity! Ari is a writer by trade, coming from the advertising world. His work is some of the most famous and awarded in the industry. Highlights include fathering the E*TRADE Baby, creating a short film with Ron Howard called “When You Find Me,” that shortlisted at the Oscars, and winning an Emmy for his work on Canon. With that success, Ari recently started his own creative company called Sauce, generating ideas for the likes of Pepsi, Nestlé, Burger King and obviously a children’s book. Ari is slightly older than Reya.