A seven-book picture book series

Real adventures.
Real lessons.
One promise at a time.

Each of the seven Dad and Marko books is built on a real endurance feat — swimming the English Channel, climbing Everest, crossing the Sahara, and beyond — turned into a bedtime story. They're more than adventure tales: each one gives Marko a window into who his dad was before he was born, while touring him through the world's wildest landscapes and the lessons learned along the way — teamwork, friendship, and the inner strength to keep going. And they're a promise as much as a memory: the same drive that took Dad around the world is what keeps him in shape today, so that someday, these journeys won't just be stories Marko hears — they'll be adventures he and his dad share firsthand.

Explore the books For publishers & press
Book 1 — The English Channel
The English Channel
Book 2 — Mt. Everest
Mt. Everest
Book 3 — Marathon des Sables
Marathon des Sables
Book 4 — Kona 70.3 Ironman
Kona 70.3 Ironman
Book 5 — Strait of Magellan
Strait of Magellan
Book 6 — Abu Dhabi International Triathlon
Abu Dhabi Triathlon
Book 7 — The South Pole
The South Pole
The real story

It started with a promise

Every book in the series follows the same honest arc: Dad attempts something many would call impossible, struggles, and doesn't quit — even when he doesn't finish. What follows isn't a lesson handed down, but a real conversation between two people who love each other, talking through what the adventure meant.

That structure stays constant book to book, even as the settings span Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, the Pacific, the Middle East, and eventually Antarctica — making the series globally adventurous but emotionally intimate. It's also rooted in Dubai and the broader MENA region, a market still underserved by international children's publishing, with a bilingual Arabic/English edition proposed alongside the English originals.

Meet the author
Dad and Marko book cover
This is the life

Real moments behind every page

Every book starts here — not in an illustrator's studio, but on a beach, a dune, or a stretch of ice.

Dad at his desk with baby MarkoBefore the promise
Holding hands at the water's edgeTraining together
The support boat near the cliffsThe support crew
Swimming the Channel at sunsetSomewhere mid-Channel
Open water training swimEarly morning, open water
Marko learning to swimMarko's turn
On the trek toward Everest base campOn the way to base camp
The Marathon des Sables route250km, marked out
A guide resting in the dunesA friend along the way
Desert running gear, sun protectionDay three, Sahara
Running across the dunesChasing the next dune
The Kona triathlon teamThe Kona crew
Rough seas at the Strait of MagellanRough water, Magellan
Two figures pulling sleds toward the South PoleThe one we haven't done — yet
Randy at his desk, working with Marko in a baby carrier
Meet the author

Written by the dad in the story

Randy Perkins is a Dubai-based entrepreneur, deal-maker, and endurance athlete. Over thirty years of professional life across the US, Europe, and the Middle East, he's built a reputation for doing things that seem impossible — in business and in sport. He holds an MBA and has spent his career in international business development.

He's climbed Mount Everest, completed the Marathon des Sables, raced the Half Ironman World Championship in Kona, swum the Strait of Magellan, and competed in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. He's now training with Marko toward a relay crossing of the English Channel — and, in fifteen years, an unsupported trek to the geographic South Pole.

Dad and Marko isn't fiction inspired by adventure. It's adventure, told for children.

Real journeys behind the series
Book 1 — The English Channel Book 2 — Mt. Everest Book 3 — Marathon des Sables Book 4 — Kona 70.3 Ironman Book 5 — Strait of Magellan Book 6 — Abu Dhabi Triathlon Book 7 — The South Pole
For publishers & press

Now seeking publishing partners

A seven-book series built around real, verifiable world-class endurance achievements by a Dubai-based father — there's no comparable series in the children's market. Book 1 is published now; Books 2–7 are in development.

The combination of authentic, non-fictional achievement, a father-son emotional core, global settings, and a Dubai-based author with deep MENA distribution relationships makes this series uniquely positioned for both international and regional publication — including school distribution through a proposed Arabic/English bilingual edition beginning with Book 6.

Series design
Request the pitch deck
Book 1 — The English Channel Book 2 — Mt. Everest Book 3 — Marathon des Sables Book 4 — Kona 70.3 Ironman Book 5 — Strait of Magellan Book 6 — Abu Dhabi Triathlon Book 7 — The South Pole