Diego Adventures

Diego Adventures: I have been playing around in my mind about stories for Diego, the little knitted Camino mascot who joined me on my Camino adventures in Spain, 2025.

Diego at Las Médulas, Camino Invierno

When I first decided to knit a Camino mascot, I thought it would be fun to have a little buddy along for the ride. He made my posts on Find Penguins more interesting - my followers started asking for more Diego!

Diego is a fun little guy. He has a kind, adventurous spirit and is always friendly with other pilgrims.

I was also surprised to see the little mascots that other pilgrims were carrying. My friend Llew had a little kiwi, as well as another small stuffed pal. I saw a few stalls selling hand-crafted Camino peeps, and I have a pilgrim friend in Edmonton who wrote a children's book about one: Cam on Camino!

Diego meets other mascots!

So, I have been thinking about writing a children's book as well, but I hesitate. The children's book market is very competitive, and I have heard that it isn't as easy as you would think. Plus I would need an illustrator!

You have to have the appropriate text for the age of your target market. I would want a book that helps youngsters to understand the Camino a bit, and instill the values of the Camino: kindness, love, respect, service, and more.

I do have some ideas about that, but so far they are just ideas. Let me know what you think! Would you read a book about Diego to your children or grandchildren?

I did write up a short story about Diego as hospitalero, with his buddy Kiwi, at Refugio Gaucelmo in Rabanal del Camino. It was fun project, giving a glimpse of life working in the albergue.

Diego Adventures with Kiwi!

If you want to see more, ask me.

By the way, the name Diego is derived from James. The Camino de Santiago is a pilgrimage to the remains of Saint James. He goes by James, Jakob, Iago, Diego.