One of our bestselling books, famous for its ability to bring parents around the world to tears. We’re revealing all the details about the creation of the book, from its initial inspiration to the final product.
Like the previous edition, this book focuses on a parent imagining what their little one might grow up to be. It’s something all parents think about, but it’s also a bittersweet realization that they’ll be all grown up, and this was where we wanted to begin.
Life is a journey, and it’s quite a ride with many roles to be played, many parts to be tried
The concept hasn’t changed much from the first edition: our goal was to create a testament to children’s futures and parents’ love, but we also wanted to refine the emotional reaction a parent would have reading the book.
While there is no overarching narrative structure to the book as a whole, each story acts as a vignette, a small glimpse into the hopes and dreams parents have for their precious little ones.
The book was conceived as a way to grasp that beautiful sentiment, one that both children and adults hold on to for years to come.
We assembled a crack-team to tackle this new edition. Our in-house writer began revising and editing the existing texts, and we also decided to collaborate with an incredible illustration house to enhance the visuals in each and every way.
Like in the previous Grows Up edition, the book revolves around what a parent, either a mother or a father, imagines their little boy or girl could grow up to be. Each occupation has its merits, and the overall message that is easy to discern from reading this edition is that no matter what the child chooses, mom or dad will always be proud of them.
For the new edition, we wanted to take personalizations to a level that’s never been done before. We added several new hairstyles for moms, for dads, and for kiddos. We also went back to the drawing board to create a whole look for the book. From the sketches to the final product on shelves now, this new edition far exceeded even our own lofty expectations.
Since our first book, we’ve striven to provide a place in our magical world for kids from all across the globe.
An author and an illustrator walk into a room. Sounds like the start of a silly joke, but our team worked hand-in-hand from the first day to make sure that this edition would be special. And it wasn’t easy. With what happened across the globe, in-person collaboration became impossible, but that didn’t stop us from putting every ounce of energy into creating a book that’s sure to bring a tear or two or 1000 to parents’ eyes.
We didn’t want to stop when it came to the things you could personalize with this book. Characters appearances? Check. Choosing the stories and their order? Oh yeah. Writing your own dedication? Yup. What the kiddo calls their parent? Now that’s a new one! We know that no everyone is mom or dad, but maybe poppa or mommy or something else, so we added an incredible feature so that the parent’s appellation is now personalizable as well!
So take a look! It’s something we’re incredibly proud of. We worked nonstop for months to make this edition something that will touch the hearts of parents everywhere. Kids will love to see themselves on every page as their parents imagine them being the president, an Armed Forces Service Member, a dancer, a painter, and so much more!
As our books make the perfect gift, we decided to create matching gift boxes. With breathtaking illustrations and numerous options for different occasions, it’s so much more than just a gift box. It doubles as a board game or a super fun-memory game with our characters. Did someone say family bonding time? We’ve got it covered. It’s one of our top priorities.
A gift isn’t complete without a gift box!
In this book, you can also choose a sidekick that will accompany your child throughout the stories: either Bondee Bear, Rascal the Raccoon, or Mrs. Hootwit. When creating your book, you can now make story time even more fun by also ordering the characters from the book as NEW plush toys!
“When Tonya Grows Up” soon became our bestselling book after its release. And we couldn’t have done it without our loyal customers and their honest feedback. Your tears of joy are our biggest reward. Thank you for sharing these intimate moments with us.
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