A small press for one family at a time
A picture book
with your kid
on every page.
You send photos and a sentence about what happens. We write the story, paint every page from those photos so the faces stay the same from cover to cover, and mail you a hardcover.
What a spread looks like
From “Brandy’s Backyard Treasure”, a real one
In Brandy’s backyard, late-autumn leaves whispered, hush-hush-hush. Two squirrels zipped along the chain-link fence, each carrying an acorn. Brandy’s floppy ears lifted. Her pink tongue paused mid-pant. “Treasure,” she decided. “Definitely treasure.”
Under the maple, Brandy found three clues: a cracked acorn cap, a feather, and a tiny pawprint in the damp earth. She followed the pawprint in a grand circle—and discovered her own back feet.
A dusting of early snow hid the garden corner. Brandy dug with joyful, thumping paws. She uncovered a tennis ball, a muddy mitten, and a spoon. Fine treasures, perhaps—but surely not squirrel treasure.
Brandy gently nudged the earth back. She tucked leaves over the spot and stood guard while the squirrels checked their pantry. From the house came the warm clink of her own dinner bowl.
One painting runs across both pages and the words sit right on it, in a calm corner the illustrator leaves open. That is how picture books have been made for a hundred years. Big type, short lines, room to breathe. A grown-up reads it aloud; a kid finds themself in it.
How it's made
- 01
Send us a few photos.
Three or four of the kid, or the grandmother, or the dog. Faces you can actually see. Tell us their name, how old they are, and one or two true things. The yellow boots. The way she calls the cat “Mister Sir.”
- 02
Tell us what happens.
A sentence is enough. “Brandy is convinced the squirrels are hiding a treasure.” We write the rest, at whichever reading level you pick, with a proper beginning, a wobble in the middle, and an ending that lands.
- 03
We paint the cast first, then the pages.
Before a single page exists we make a character sheet from your photos, so the same face turns up on every spread. Then each page is painted from that sheet. You can repaint any page you don't like, or rewrite any line.
- 04
It arrives as a real book.
Eight and a half inches square. Case-wrap hardcover, eighty-pound coated stock, gloss cover. Printed one at a time, which is the only way to print a book that only one family wants.
Eight ways to paint it
Pick one. The whole book, cover included, is painted in that one hand. We won't mix watercolour on page four with clay on page five.
Choose yours →
Soft Watercolor01Loose washes, gentle bleeds and warm light. Timeless and tender.
Cozy Gouache02Chunky opaque paint, rich texture, storybook charm.
Bright & Bold03Clean flat shapes and cheerful colour. Modern and playful.
Pencil & Crayon04Sketchy lines and crayon fills, like a treasured drawing.
Paper Cut-out05Layered paper shapes with soft shadows and craft texture.
Ink & Wash06Expressive ink lines with soft colour washes. Quietly beautiful.
Clay & Felt07Rounded 3D characters that look sculpted and stitched.
Vintage Storybook081950s lithograph charm: limited inks, halftone texture.
The proof is free
We write the whole story, paint the cast, the cover and the first 2 spreads, and show you all of it before you spend anything. If you like it, order the book and we paint the rest and print it. If you only want the files, there's a PDF for $14.99.
- · 10 to 16 painted spreads
- · Title page, dedication, the works
- · Edit every line, repaint pages you don't love
- · Ships to most of the world