Andy
Andy, the main character in The Tale of Kale, is also a true character in real life! He has always been a source of entertainment, while teaching his family many lessons unintentionally and on purpose, by just being himself. Andy loves to be challenged, and equally likes to challenge those around him when it comes to food, trying new things, and beyond. His zest for life, huge smile, and mischievous grin inspires and brings joy (and some frustration) to so many in life. It just made sense to bring one of his own stories to life, which we’re happy to finally share in The Tale of Kale.
Lisa Borden
Lisa Borden loves eating kale – sautéed, steamed, dehydrated, juiced, baked, in smoothies or straight from her own organic urban garden. In addition to writing and self-publishing her first children’s book, The Tale of Kale, Lisa is mom to Andy, Joey, and Ryan, is married to her summer camp sweetheart, and is the proud owner of Borden Communications, a highly passionate, hyper-focused, common-sense business development + marketing firm in Toronto that she started in 1994. As a founding Canadian B Corp, Lisa and her small team specialize in business development and marketing communications for leading and start-up conscious brands, and personalities, and use transparent strategies for greenwash-free brand management and socially responsible messaging with proven success.
Learn more about Lisa’s work (and life) via bordencom.com.
Joey Storm
Joey is proud to be Andy’s big sister. She and her older brother, Ryan, watch Andy and marvel in his joy, while in awe of his boldness and ability to say “no” and fight for what he believes is right, even being much younger than they are. When Joey was 8 years old, she had the idea of combining one of Andy’s stories with our family rule of trying new things into a children’s book. She wrote a short version and had plans to illustrate it too. But, with a packed schedule and lots of diversions, and with Joey starting her own business, JoCycle, it wasn’t created. 5 years later, her mother, Lisa, brought the project to life – to Joey’s delight.
Wengsi Chiu
Wengsi grew up in Toronto and graduated from McGill University with a degree in International Development and Urban Systems Geography. She is particularly interested in food security as well as using creative design to promote sustainability and create social change. Shortly after returning to Toronto, she approached Lisa Borden to explore working together. Wengsi is somewhat of an accidental illustrator – The Tale of Kale was a fun project, and she embraced new experience and the challenge to bring Andy to life through illustrations. She has especially enjoyed working with the Borden team, as she was able to develop new skills and play a part in telling a wonderful story. Through her illustrations, she hopes to encourage people of all ages to keep a healthy diet and open their minds to trying new things.