It all started at the dinner table. Between bites and banter, the mother-and-daughter duo, Jessica and Shea Speer, tossed out words that captured the Colorado they knew best—hiking, moose, Casa Bonita, even “yard sale,” the ski-town term for when your gear scatters after a wipeout. Out of these conversations came 100 First Words for Little Coloradans, a colorful new children’s book that introduces babies and toddlers to the language of the Centennial State.
Written by Jessica, a children’s book author, with help from her teenage daughter Shea, the pages celebrate both the everyday and the extraordinary of Colorado life. There are playful additions like SUP and Subie, as well as nods to native species like the blue spruce and pika. “Learning the names of local birds, trees, and mammals is like learning my neighbor’s names,” Shea says. “It gave me a strong sense of belonging in the Yampa Valley.”
That personal connection runs throughout the project. The Speers live in Steamboat Springs, where biking along the Yampa River, crossing paths with deer and elk, and skiing through long winters are part of daily life. What wasn’t as easy? Narrowing down the words. “We must have come up with 300,” Jessica says. “Choosing just 100 sparked a lot of laughs and memories.”
Illustrated with vibrant artwork by Gareth Williams, the book is as much a love letter to Colorado as it is a primer for young adventurers. As Shea—soon bound for college—puts it, “There’s nowhere else I’d rather have grown up. This place will always feel like home.”
For print-exclusive stories, download the digital magazine or pick up a copy from select local King Soopers, Safeway, Tattered Cover, or Barnes & Noble locations.
