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Our Mission

The co-creators of Stanky and Cece are on a mission to assist children in developing their inner compasses,  choose what values are important to them, distinguish between right and wrong, and build the confidence to be engaged members of their community – and, most importantly, respect themselves and others by making healthy decisions.

Based on a formerly run-down jeep and a failed foster dog, Chad Hanstedt, the creator and a single dad to Olivia, took one look at this odd couple and couldn’t imagine a better pair to teach children important values through the antics of two members of his family – one lively pup and one automobile.

So he began crafting a series of adventures about the two of them, with the help of his co-creator Kathy Sparrow, bestselling author, educator, mom, and grandma to 5 littles – ages 18 months to 14! They added to their team with illustrators James Koenig and Jacob Gray.

About the Authors

meet Chad Hanstedt

Aerospace Engineer, Musician, Children’s Book Author

He is an aerospace engineer, who has worked on top-secret projects for many major companies in the industry, including Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing. He holds a master’s in Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, a bachelor’s in manufacturing engineering, and an associate’s in manufacturing from Milwaukee School of Engineering.

  Additionally, Chad is an accomplished guitarist and songwriter. He also is known for his photography and videography, particularly for musicians. 

  Chad was thrust into the world of single-parenthood when he was widowed shortly after his daughter’s birth 18 years ago and has been passionate about instilling a strong foundation of values for her ever since. 

  An avid Jeep enthusiast, Chad lives in Arizona and spends his time being a parent, playing music, engineering, and heading off on adventures with his jeeps––and Cece.Cece with his imagination and love of story.

He is an avid jeep enthusiast and an aerospace engineer, who was thrusted into the world of single-parenthood when he was widowed shortly after his daughter’s birth 16 years ago. Chad lives in Arizona and spends his time being a parent, playing music, “engineering,” and heading off on adventures with his jeeps—and Cece.

meet Kathy Sparrow

Literary Midwife, Ghostwriter, and Bestselling Author

is an award-winning author, ghostwriter, and publishing consultant who has been mentoring aspiring writers of non-fiction, fiction, and poetry for over two decades and writing professionally for three decades.  

She was recently named by LA Weekly as one of the “Top 15 Book Coaches to Watch in 2023. With a three-decade tenure in publishing, Kathy is the co-author and project lead of Ignite Your Leadership: Proven Tools to Energize Teams, Fuel Momentum, and Accelerate Results. Her novel, The Whispered Teachings of Grandmother Trout, is touted as the feminine version of A River Runs Through It. She has ghostwritten books and blogs on the topics of personal growth and development, spirituality, and leadership, including The Precipice of Life: Leadership and Personal Growth Insights from a Mountaineer’s Edge. 

A university professor, she’s been on the faculty of National University, Southern New Hampshire University, the University of Texas-Pan American, and Pikes Peak Community College.  

An avid fly fisher, hot indoor cyclist, and grandma to five creative grandchildren, she lives in Toluca Lake, California, with her partner. Find out more about Kathy at www.awritablelilfe.com and www.kathysparrow.com

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