Inspired by the story of the freeing of the container ship the Ever Given from where it was stuck in the Suez Canal earlier this year, Ryan Petersen, the founder and CEO of Flexport, a platform for global logistics, was inspired to write his first book for children on the power of optimism and persistence.

The book, The Big Ship and the Little Digger, also highlights the wonders of container shipping and global logistics. Since founding Flexport in 2013, Petersen and his team have worked to make global trade easier. Using the latest logistics technologies, the company moves over $10 billion worth of goods annually for small and Fortune 500 companies alike. 

Lessons from the Ever Given

What is the book about?

The Big Ship and the Little Digger is my first book, and it is a story about the power of naive optimism to move impossibly large obstacles that get in your way. We follow the story of the “Big Ship” that got stuck in the Suez Canal, teaching kids about the global logistics of container shipping while also introducing the “Little Digger” that inspired millions with its enthusiastic and very helpful response. Children everywhere will learn about the power of doing the right thing even when it seems as if half the world is laughing at you.

What inspired you to write a children’s story? What age range is it targeted at? 

I was inspired to write this book to educate the younger generations about global trade and what can happen when we work together to get things moving around the world. There is no set age range, but we hope all children can learn something about trade and resilience from this book. 

What feedback have you had about the book? 

The book is yet to be in print. Those who have read the online version are very excited about it. 

How long did it take you to write the book and work with the illustrator?

As CEO of Flexport, a platform for global logistics, writing this book was an important side project for me. I worked with our talented in-house illustrator Yanni Davros, who created the cover. Start to finish, we will have the book wrapped in a few months. 

Was your company affected by the blockage of the Suez Canal?

We have many clients who were impacted by the blockage in the Suez Canal. Our technology gives clients insight into where their goods are, so we were naturally following the ship’s movement to help keep goods moving. 

Do you plan translations?

Yes, we hope to publish the book in many different languages. 

Are you dedicating a percentage of the book’s revenues to charity?

Due to the critical situation in India at the moment, all the proceeds from purchases will go towards our humanitarian logistics programmes for Covid-19 relief there. Last year, we delivered 425 million units of personal protective equipment and other relief items to frontline healthcare workers on five continents.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 10 June, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly