Looking for something special for your child’s bookshelf? This personalized original from MarbleSpark hits the spot.

By Jennifer Zohn
Images courtesy of MarbleSpark.com

I made a fortuitous discovery one day this summer during a desperate search for The Perfect First Birthday Gift to give my son. I wanted it to be something he’d always cherish, not something he’d play with for a few months and discard as old news soon after. I also wanted it to be unique, and to come from a great place. And it had to be something worthy of the year we’d just had: the pride we’d felt, the sleep we’d missed, the deep well of love that grew instantly in our hearts upon holding our little guy for the first time. This gift has to be perfect, I said. Extraordinary. Well, boy, did I strike gold when I stumbled upon Following Featherbottom from independent children’s book publisher, MarbleSpark. I can’t think of anything more lovable.

The beautiful book we wound up with is something that’ll grow with our son; its touching story combined with the dedication we added will remind him what a special boy he is (worthy of an entire book about him!). Following Featherbottom is as heartwarming as it is fun, and I know it’ll remain a classic in our home for years to come.

I almost hate to let the cat out of the bag, because I like to keep my discoveries on the down-low. (How else can I give this as a surprise gift to every child I know?) But I’ll be selfless this time and let you in: it’s that good. You’ve already gotten a preview of this sparkling gem and the inspirational company behind it; now I’m excited to share with you a fabulous Q&A session with the author himself: the kind, funny, creative genius (and SuperDad!) at the helm of MarbleSpark, Phil Haussler. As I told him, the only thing that makes this perfect book better is a stand-out, stand-up company from which to order it. Dealing with Phil has been a thorough pleasure (I should know, I’ve ordered the book 3 times and counting!); the customer service at MarbleSpark is personal and fantastic—Haussler has responded to all my inquiries himself, and was genuinely enthused to receive the latest request to feature his project here at Main Line Parent. He is exceedingly modest and generous with his time and gifts, and I know you’ll enjoy getting inside his head and heart. So, without further ado:

MLP: What’s your story? Tell us who you are, what Following Featherbottom and MarbleSpark are all about, and what inspired you to create them.

Haussler: I’m nobody special.  I suppose what defines me most these days is being a decent father to 3 boys (#3 is nearly fully baked… due November 23rd).  Being blessed with children is simultaneously the best and hardest job that’s ever been put in front of me.  I’ve been married for 10 years to the love of my life, Stacey.  I work during the day thinking up ideas that help businesses figure out how to build great places to work.

5 years ago, when we were expecting our first child, I sat down to write (and illustrate) a personalized book for my future child. I figured it would be bad; did I mention I can’t draw?  But I thought it would be cool to someday tell my kid “Look, I made this for you!”  I thought my wife and kids might see it, maybe I’d show it to my sister and parents. I called it Bobby Blew a Bubble.  And I finished it…and it was horrible.

But it sparked an idea for a personalized children’s book—a book that revolved around the child. So, I started a book called Asparagus to Zucchini, Your Name In-Betweeni (did I just admit that publicly?). And over the next two years the idea evolved into the manuscript for Following Featherbottom.

MarbleSpark is the company we built to publish Following Featherbottom—and future books.  We mean Marble as in brain or noggin (“Have you lost your marbles?”). Our goal is to ignite kids’ imaginations, so the name is really a call-to-action.

Following Featherbottom is a personalized children’s book; it’s the story of each child’s name. Felix Featherbottom is a “delivery stork” that works for Letter Getter, Inc. He arrives at work one day to find his assignment is finding the perfect letters for the perfect kid. So he and his co-pilot, Pierre DuPond (a frog, of course), set off on a journey around the world to collect letters and build the perfect name. If your child is named Emma, they might go to Ethiopia, Madagascar, Mexico, and Antarctica. Once they’ve found the most-awesome-est name on earth, they rush to deliver the name to the child. Finally they leave a map with all the locations where they found the letter. Because it’s all about your child or grandchild’s first and last names, no two books are the same. Kinda like a snowflake—a big, awesome snowflake with your name on it that never melts.

MLP:The illustrations are fabulous. What else can you share about them?

Haussler: Once I had the story drafted, I started a Google odyssey to find an illustrator.  I talked to people all over the world—even paid a few people to paint some samples.  Somewhere along the line—probably a random Tuesday at 2AM—I ran into Brad Sneed’s name and noticed he lived in Kansas City, where we lived at the time.  I e-mailed him and asked him to breakfast.  He said no—because that’s what amazing illustrators do; they have enough paid work to keep them more than busy.  Then, for some reason he changed his mind.  As fate would have it, he lived about 5 blocks away.  We met over breakfast, shook hands and started what would become MarbleSpark.

Brad is a mind-boggling talent.  His work—in Following Featherbottom and his other ~20 books—will absolutely blow your mind.  He is, as luck would have it, also an awesome human.

I should mention that this is not “how it works”—in fact, this is exactly what you’re NOT supposed to do.  Finding an illustrator for your children’s book actually hurts your chances of getting published with a conventional publisher.  But I was 100% clueless about how to go about getting a children’s book published.  And I suppose that’s good.  This is an unconventional story and an unconventional book—so the conventional path to getting published would have gone nowhere.

MLP: What do you think sets Following Featherbottom apart from other personalized book options?

Haussler:

• The artwork is beyond amazing (seriously, go check it out).
• The story is “layered” so it stays relevant for many years.  It’s an awesome baby gift, and the rhymes and pictures work for toddlers.  But there are lots of hidden treasures throughout the book that make older kids dig it—for example, in every location they stop for a letter, there are a bunch of hidden items that start with that letter.
• The book quality.  Most personalized stories simply use a laser-printer to apply your child’s name onto pre-printed pages.  As a result, it feels fake—as if the name has been “injected” into the book (like Botox).  Not ours—everything about the book is printed for your child.  From putting the name on the front of the hardcover and the spine, to all the custom elements throughout the book, the book is built especially for your child.  It’s printed on high-quality, heavy paper and bound in the USA—and the binding is stitched, as opposed to the pages being “pinched” into a metal binding.  The result is that the book feels like a very high quality heirloom piece when you hold it in your hands.
• The level of customization.  You can see your book online before you buy, choose the locations Felix visits, and even choose from several hardcover options.  This allows two kids living in the same house to have two completely unique books.

MLP: What kind of feedback have you received from parents who’ve discovered MarbleSpark and Following Featherbottom?

Haussler: Parents’ reactions have been one of the best parts of this journey.  We’ve had a lot of parents who tell us they cried the first time they read the book.  That was a bit of a surprise for me.  But—when you think about the process of naming your child and how personal that journey is—it’s no wonder people love seeing the name immortalized in an heirloom gift like this.

MLP: Can you also tell us more about the OpenBook project you’ve spearheaded? I’ve never heard of anything like it. What is your biggest hope for its future?

Haussler: Project OpenBook is a “community-built children’s book for charity”.  I explain it as “Shel Silverstein meets mosh-pit meets UNICEF”.  Basically, anybody can submit a poem or illustrate a poem.  Eventually we will publish the best pieces as a book and donate the proceeds to educating children in the developing world. We are currently raising money to educate a young girl in Nepal.  My dream is to someday build a school.  Excitingly, we have recently agreed in concept to eventually work with a proven nonprofit to build a school in Uganda.

To date we’ve published nearly 50 poems on our blog.  Many of them are amazing.  Some of them suck.  But that’s the nature of the project: throw a bunch of stuff into the mixer, and hope that what comes out is an awesome book—and eventually a school.  You can learn more about it at www.marblespark.com/blog/openbook.

MLP: You sign your correspondence with “Do Good.” I like that. What’s the best advice you can offer to parents who want to inspire their children through example?

Haussler: You’re the first person to ask me about that sign-off!  Wow, advising other parents is an honor I really haven’t earned.  I’ve never really stopped to think too much about it.  But here’s what I’ve observed in my own kids: children are super perceptive, maddeningly so.  They’re ALWAYS picking up what you’re laying down.  And “do as I say, not as I do”… just doesn’t work.  My children are shaped and molded every single day by my actions, my attitude, my posture toward the world.  For me, “Do Good” is a reminder to myself that—while I cannot control what life deals me—I can control what I deal life.

So, parents, how great is he? And, are you still there or have you already hightailed it over to MarbleSpark.com to begin creating your child’s own Following Featherbottom book? Before you go, you’ll be pleased to know that we’ve been offered an exclusive promotion for 10% off an order of this marvelous personalized storybook. Part of Phil’s “Do Good” mantra, I’m sure (wink!). We thank him for that, for his creative contributions to the world of children’s literature, and for the inspiration he and the rest of the staff at MarbleSpark provide. Check out the OpenBook project, too; perhaps some of you will make your mark on it before it makes its mark on the world!

1.  Go to www.MarbleSpark.com and build your book

2.  When you get to the shopping cart, enter your gift code: VAD99T5M

3.  And away you go!

(Expires November 30th, 2010)

Many thanks to Phil and the rest of the MarbleSpark staff!

Find these guys on Facebook and join the hundreds of other fans in singing their praises: www.facebook.com/MarbleSpark

About the Author
Jennifer Zohn is mom to one-year-old E., a curly-headed boychick who keeps her busy and laughing. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Music, which comes in handy when you’re sick of The Wheels on the Bus. She enjoys writing, cooking, lingering over a barrel of coffee, learning web design, playing viola, and singing at the top of her lungs. Her husband is a Saint. The three live in Ardmore with a mean cat and too many obsolete Apple products. Tweet with her @jennyzohn.

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