Children's book co-authored by Utah travel influencer Elise Caffee honors her legacy

SALT LAKE CITY — A new children's picture book co-authored by Utah travel influencer, editor and publisher Elise Caffee is honoring her life and legacy. Caffee died earlier this year after sustaining severe burns in a car crash in Mexico.

Before her death, Caffee co-wrote "Pippa and Poppy's European Adventure" with her close friend and fellow author Tiffany Rosenhan. Rosenhan described the book, which follows two identical twins exploring Europe, as whimsical and curiosity-sparking – qualities that she said reflect Caffee's personality and passions.

"It's not a textbook, it's not an encyclopedia," Rosenhan said. "It's supposed to just spark curiosity because Elise and I originally bonded over our shared interest in exploration and curiosity."

The two women also shared a unique connection as identical twins, which inspired the name of their publishing company, Jumelle Press, "Jumelle" meaning "twin" in French.

Rosenhan said the book now feels like more than a creative project.

"It simply feels like a gift – a tangible reminder of your friendship, and all that you taught me," she wrote in the author's note.

Caffee's influence extended far beyond her professional work.

"She was the cheerleader of so many women," Rosenhan said. "After she passed, especially, I just heard story after story of women that felt as though Elise encouraged them and motivated them behind the scenes, encouraging them to put forth their best work."

Rosenhan credited Caffee with teaching her everything she knows about publishing.

"At the same time, she was a brilliant operational expert," she said. "And the ability to actually take a book from concept to completion and get a book to press is fun in theory, but in reality, it's a lot of practice and hard work. And she was excellent at what she did."

The book also celebrates Caffee's personal motto: "Take the trip."

Rosenhan explained, "'Take the trip' is just this philosophy that (you) take the trip with your children while they're young," she said. "Yes, they might not remember it. Yes, it's hard, it's expensive, it's exhausting. It's all the things. But when you travel with your children while you're young, you're building resilience as a family, you're building a family culture that values exploration, that values being vulnerable.

"(Elise) was more happy for her friends' success than even her own," Rosenhan said. "So, it's kind of fun to put her name on the cover and be like, 'Well, we can talk about you however we want.'"

You can find "Pippa and Poppy's European Adventure" at jumellepress.com or folklorebookshop.com.

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