Jack Feels Big - Children's Book of Feelings

By Adam Millen

NZ $6,200 pledged


114 people pledged


Closed


NZ $5,000 minimum target


100 100% Complete

This campaign was successful and closed on 21/12/2015 at 9:00 PM.

Make a Pledge

About

Jack Feels Big - Children's Book Of Feelings

Project 2015-11-15 12:42:28 +1300

 

 

Minimum Funding Reached - Please keep pledging so that we can include Sophie

 

What's the book for?

 

It's one thing to teach your child the names for things you can point at, but what about the things you can't, like feelings and virtues? Jack Feels Big is a children's book that uses a collection of small stories as a tool to help teach children the names for their feelings.

This project is for the first volume, which will contain five small stories.

Each story is about five pages long:

  • Jack is introduced (generally dressed up in costume)
  • Something happens
  • A particular feeling is clearly identified
  • There's some sort of resolution.

You can start reading this book to your child as soon as they're old enough to sit and listen. If they're old enough that the simple stories don't interest them, try tricking them into learning by having them read the book to a younger child. Even some adults could use some help figuring out what they're feeling. 

Introducing: Sophie

 

Jack Feels Big was created as a tool to teach kids in general the names for their feelings, but the main character was deliberately male, because there seems to be less material available for this sort of thing targetd at boys.

Having achieved the minimum funding goal for Jack, I would really like to make a second version available. The concept is the same, the stories will be roughly the same, but it will be targeted at girls. Having a female main character will mean girls can identify with her even more.

Because the leading cost in this is the illustrations, making a second book will cost about the same amount again. If we can get pledges for another five thousand dollars, I'll be able to make and print a Sophie Feels Big book.

The extra illustrations will happen after Jack Feels Big has been finished and shipped (so there won't be a delay on those who pledged for Jack). Backers will be able to pick whether they want to receive Jack books in March or Sopie books in June. But printed Sophie books can only happen if we reach the full funding for Sophie by the 21st of December.

What we can do if we make it part way, is produce a digital “draft” version. For every thousand dollars of pledges, I'll be able be able to get one story illustrated. If we get part way to the $10,000 goal, I'll make a digital draft version available to all backers, with one story per milestone passed - currently we've got one in the bag, four to go!

What will backers get?

The Involvement of Votes, Input and Updates

Votes

This first volume of Jack Feels Big will contain five stories. Throughout the campaign, backers will have the opportunity to vote on which three feelings and two virtues will get illustrated and make it into the book. Votes will take place at particular milestones along the path to full funding, so the sooner you get involved, the more influence you'll have on the final product.

I've already written stories for Lonely, Rejected, Brave, Reliable, Resourceful, Cooperating, Frustrated, Out of My Depth, Overwhelmed, Hangry and Touched-out. Other possibilites include Alert, Dissappointed, Honest, Intimidated, Loyal, Envy, Courteous, Kind, Jealousy, Thoughtful, Embarassed, Obedient, Persistant, Worried, Sympathetic, Vulnerable. 

Input

There's a lot of thought that goes into each story, to ensure that it clearly conveys what defines that particular feeling. I want to get your input. What emotions are important? How do we define them? What scenario would best illustrate it? My backers have a deep and broad pool of experience and while I have come up with stories for a dozen of the emotions, I'm keen to get your ideas and to see if I can improve what I've got. If you have any questions or suggestions, head over to the facebook page.

Updates

Its going to be an exciting journey and I want to keep you informed as it all develops. During the campaign itself I'll keep you up to date with preparations for the book. As we select which stories will go into the book, I'll post the process of figuring out what defines that feeling and coming up with a story to illustrate it. Once we've got funding, you'll get to see the illustrations as they make their way from my clumsy story board to Matt's sketches, to coloured final drawings. 

A copy of the book (for $25 and above)

All rewards above the $25 level (and $20 for the quick) will include a copy of the book, which we expect to ship in March:

  • Paper back
  • Perfect bound
  • Full colour
  • 14.8cm high x 21cm wide 
  • 36 pages (5 stories plus tips on getting the most out of it)

Exact specifications may vary, and may improve if the print run is large enough. The custom print hard cover special pack copy will be hard cover (naturally) and 20cm high x 28cm wide.

If you're ordering a physical reward from outside of New Zealand you'll have to add $5 to your pledge to cover international shipping. 

Special Involvement (for the upper level pledges)

Most of the rewards above $100 come with "special" involvement. This includes all the votes, input and updates of the lower rewards, plus you'll be included in a group chat just for the top-tier backers. You'll get a headstart on input and updates once the campaign is completed.

Donation Pack

The reward for a $100 pledge is a give two, get to nominate two institutions (school, library, club) to receive a book donated in your name. This is a great way to make sure that your school or local community benefits. If you'd like you can nominate just one institution to receive both books, or you can choose to receive just one book, with three of them going to your chosen institution(s).

Te Reo and NZSL Names for Feelings

As well as the English name for each feeling being shown at the start of each story, there will also be the closest Te Reo translation and the New Zealand Sign Language Sign for that feeling. We'll also include relevant information on the Te Reo word (definition, background, pronounciation) (not shown in the mock-up above). There'll be some help in the front of the book with making the most of these added languages. 

I think the inclusion of additional languages adds a lot of value. It gives an extra point of interest for each story, as well as sparking the reader's interest in these languages. Jack Feels Big will be teaching kids the names for their feelings in all three of New Zealand's official languages!

Since we got to the $5,000 minimum funding point ahead of time, we'll also be able to to create illustrations showing Jack demonstrating the NZSL sign. Thanks to everyone who pledged to make this happen.

Here's the video from the announcement of this: Te Reo and NZSL Titles for Jack Feels Big 

 

Who's Involved?

The Author

Author

I'm Adam Millen, an engineer who is keen on seeing crazy ideas become reality. What's crazier than an engineer with no kids writing a children's book about feelings? Underestimating the power of applying an analytical mind to a complicated topic like feelings, that's crazier. I'm used to breaking complex systems into their parts and making them easier to understand. There's a short video introducing Adam here.

The Illustrator

Matt Haworth trained at Animation College NZ and has five years of experience as a freelance illustrator. He teaches illustration classes with McLeay Workshops, sells his art books and fanart at conventions like CHROMACON and even has past experience with crowdfunded projects (he illustrated for Imagistory, a wordless picture book app, to inspire your child to be the storyteller). He's a black belt in Taekwondo and enjoys B-Grade horror movies. There's a short video introducing Matt here.

Our Supporters

There's a whole crowd of family and friends who have got us this far and who are continuing to support us with encouragment, advice and hopefully some cake. We appreciate your part in this everyone!

Our Pledgeme Backers

That's you! Someone who sees how great this book can be and wants to be involved. 

When will it all happen?

The campaign will close on the 21st of December. Once we've cleared the campaign goal, I'll meet with Matt and we'll block out illustrations for the first couple of stories. There'll be a bit of a break over Christmas and New Year, then Matt will begin illustrating. As each story is completed the pledgeme backers will be updated with sneak peeks at how the books is going to look. We're expecting the illustrations to be finished by the end of February. Then the book will be typeset and go to the printers. We should have the printed books by the end of March and start sending them out. 

How will the money be spent?

The campaign's critical-mass goal is $5000. This balances the fixed cost (illustrating five stories of five pages each) with the per-book costs (printing and postage) and the campaign-size costs (the pledgeme fees).  

Comments

Updates 34

Jack Feels Big - helping kids up and down New Zealand learn the names for their feelings

29/06/2017 at 10:32 AM

Adam reading to JohnsonvilleEmily reads to Adam and class

Adam reading the frustrated story to Johnsonville Childcare / Emily reading to Adam and the kids

Thanks for backing my crowdfunding campaign for Jack Feels Big back in 2015. I've been visiting schools and childcare centers recently, reading the book to the kids. It's been having a huge impact and I wanted to share a bit of that with you.

I've read it to more than 150 groups around the North Island just in the last few months. There must be about 600 copies in use around New Zealand now. It's really great to see how engaged the kids get with the stories. I put extra emphasis on the frustrated story, since it suits getting quite emotive. I show the kids the sign language sign, and get them to do it too, showing me their "frustrated faces". The kids get really into it, and it helps them associate the word with the feeling.

Last week was the best visit ever - I visited Johnsonville Childcare and it was the second time I'd been there. The kids had been reading the book a lot in the month since I'd last visited and the kids had gotten really familiar with it. After I finished the stories and most of the kids had taken off for some outside play, one little girl asked if she could have a turn reading to me. Emily took the book and sat down on the chair at the front. She flipped to the first page of the first story and asked everyone "What's Jack wearing today?" (which is how I start each story when I'm reading to groups). She proceeded to tell the story as best she could remember (she's four and wasn't actually reading it). As she went through the five stories, proudly telling us all about Jack's little adventures and the feelings he felt, I felt really proud. I was pretty happy back in early 2016 when I'd successfully created the book, but to now see the effect that it's having was so special. And it's all thanks to you! Without the people who backed that first crowdfunding campaign, none of this would have happened.

If you'd like another copy of the book, for the next two weeks (until July 13) you can get free shipping using code OBWSHIP when you order at www.jackfeelsbig.nz. If you know somebody else who would appreciate it, feel free to pass this code on.

Thanks again for your support!

Adam

p.s. I'm gearing up for another crack at making a second volume. The next book will have five new feeling-stories and female main character. If you're not already on the list, you can get involved by putting your email address in at www.jackfeelsbig.nz/sophie

All rewards sent + Sophie is Persistent Download

02/06/2016 at 3:46 PM

All Rewards Sent!

I have now sent out the last of the books, including the special edition hardcover and the Jack and Sophie mixer book! I'm a bit new to logistics, so sorry if it took longer than it should have. If you didn't recieve your copy, or it wasn't all you were expecting, please don't hesistate to let me know - [email protected]. I want to make it right.

If you got your copy and love it, I'd love to know that too! If you want to post some rave reviews on the facebook page, you can do that. 

So that's the campaign completed, except for one thing:

Sophie is Persistent!

The illustrations for single-story Sophie is Persistent are completed and you can download a pdf here.  

Thanks!

I couldn't have done this without you, thanks so much for being part of this. I hope you enjoyed the journey and the book!

 

Until next time,

Adam Millen

Author (thanks to you)

Printed, online and a discount code!

26/03/2016 at 10:10 AM

Jack Feels Big has now been printed!

I'm in New Plymouth this weekend and will be getting as many books to my Taranaki backers as I can. I'll also be signing, packaging and posting books to backers in other parts of the country (and other countries!).

The website now has a buy button!

If you would like more copies of Jack Feels Big, or if you know someone who missed the crowdfunding campaign, I've got an online store set up now. I want my backers to be the first to know. Currently you'll need to sign in to paypal to process a credit card payment or go with direct deposit or bitcoin. I'm working on having an option to pay with credit card and not have to sign in to paypal. 

Discount Code

Because you're all so special, here's a 15% discount code, for you or your friends. Its valid until the end of April. Just type in BKRJFBR1 when you're purchasing a book!

Jack Feels Big - Proof printed!

20/03/2016 at 11:25 PM

Just a quick update - the printing company have provided me with a proof. It looks great and we should have the book printed by Thursday! Check out the little video, and thank you so much for making this happen!

Jack Feels Big in Final Draft Stage

04/03/2016 at 4:50 PM

Jack Feels Big is now at Final Draft Stage!

We're almost there everybody! I've had the text reviewed by an editor, Matt has finalised the illustration files and it's all been passed to the printing company!

The printing people will get everything professionally laid out and print a proof so we can see how it will look bound (probably next week). Once that's accepted, they go to work printing off four hundred copies of the book (about half from the pledgeme campaign and half in anticipation of starting websales).  That will probably be the week after next.

Once they've printed it, I start sorting and signing and stuffing them all into envelopes! If you're in New Plymouth I might manage a personal delivery over Easter. I think everyone should have their copy by the end of this month :D

It's getting so close! And, just in case you forgot, it's all thanks to you!

Thanks! 

Adam

Sophie Feels Persistent - How much to change?

20/02/2016 at 1:36 PM

 

Thanks so much for your input. The highest polling feeling was Persistent, so Sophie's going to keep on swatting until she gets the fly. Have a look at the Jack version of the story on facebook and tell me whether you think the bedroom is going to need some changes to make it Sophie's!

 

Adam

Vote for Sophie's Feeling / Jack Illustrations Near Completion

15/02/2016 at 8:21 PM

Hey everyone!

The book is getting really close to fully illustrated. That means that soon Matt can move on to re-illustrating one of the stories with Sophie as the main character. I want to know which of the feelings you would like to be the one reillustrated. 

Vote for Sophie's Feeling

You'll be getting a survey email shortly. I'll be asking which feeling, but I'd also like to know if you think that the stories would need to be changed a little bit (or a lot) to suit Sophie.

As well as answering the survey, you can have input by discussing the question on the facebook page or on twitter. I've posted which one I think would be best!

Jack Illustrations

Here's a couple of illustrations from each story. I think they all look so great!

 

In the first story, Jack is dressed as a pirate. But before he can go see the pirate show, he has to clean his room. There's so much mess he feels overwhelmed.

 

 

In the second story, Jack is wearing a sailor's hat and lifejacket. But when it comes to getting in the boat he finds he's going to need to be brave.

 

 In the third story, Jack is dressed in a construction worker outfit. But when his tower keeps falling down he feels frustrated.

 

 

In the fourth story, Jack is wearing his Judo uniform. He needs to be persistent to swat a fly. 

 

 

In the fifth story, Jack is wearing his pyjamas. He's enjoyed looking at picturebooks, but now he'd like to play with someone. There's nobody to play with and he feels lonely.

 

Don't worry too much for Jack, there's a resolution for each story!

Thanks for being part of making this happen!

Adam

Progress

24/01/2016 at 5:39 PM

Sketches turning into illustrations

I've used the sketches to test the stories on kids and get feedback from other people. I've made some adjustments - a couple of them needed their story arc better balaned. The illustrations are underway and we're doing well on the schedule. Looking forward to getting the books finished, printed and sent out!

The animated gif above should fade through from my rough, to Matt's sketch, to Matt's full coloured illustration. I picked this one because I'm just blown away by how well he's done Oliver jumping off the pier, and the amazing background. Note my version of Oliver lacked knees entirely! It's really exciting every time I get updates from Matt.

 Adam

Five Feelings Chosen, Sketches Begun!

03/01/2016 at 11:08 AM

Feelings Selected

Image

Thanks for all your input, I've tallied the votes and the five feelings to go into the first volume of Jack Feels Big are:

Lonely, Persistent, Frustrated, Brave and Overwhelmed.

I don't have a picture for persistent yet because that was a late entry, suggested on the facebook page. I haven't decided what story to use for it - my basketball idea or the backer suggestion of persistence in hunting and swatting a fly. 

Have your say on the facebook page!

Illustrations Are in Progress

Our illustrator (the marvelous Matt Haworth) has been working away at illustrations for the book. We're starting with sketches for each story. Above are roughing-out sketches for "overwhelmed". I'm really impressed by how well Matt captures emotions in his drawings!

Thanks for being a part of this!

Adam Millen

Survey, About You and Sketches

23/12/2015 at 11:12 PM

Important Survey!

I've gotten the pledger information through from Pledgeme and there's a detailed survey coming your way aftter Christmas. This will have some general questions to help me provide you with the best service, some of which I really need to know the answers to. If you're getting a signed copy of the book, that's how you let me know who it's for.

Most importantly, it lets you tell me which of the feelings you most want to see in the book. It will come through in your email shortly. If you want your vote to count, please submit the survey by the 30th of December.

Here's what I know so far:

We had 108 different pledgers order 175 copies of the book. There's a lot from Taranaki. There's backers in Auckland and Wellington of course, but a good turn out from Hamilton and Christchurch. We've got a couple in Porirua and a couple more in Putaru. Gisbourne, Napier, Taupo, Tauranga, Tokoroa, Whangarei and Dunedin are also represented.

We've got a bunch from over the ditch. Mostly from Brisbane, but also a couple from Adelaide, and one from each of Darwin, Kalgoorlie, Perth and Sydney.

There's even two from Indonesia and one from Brunei!

Here's a look at the sketches Matt's been doing!

Rough

 

 This is work-in-progress for the story for “frustrated”. I'm toying with whether to expand the story a little so that Jack comes up with a solution on his own.

 

Thank you!

22/12/2015 at 6:19 PM

THANKS!

I really appreciate every share, retweet and personally delivered "have a look at this". I am so thankful to everybody who pledged for whatever reason - without you all the hard work would have meant nothing.

We're already making progress on the illustrations and they are looking great. I'll keep you posted, but for now, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Adam!

Just About Done

21/12/2015 at 8:44 PM

Any last pledgers?

There's about fifteen minutes left, want to get yourself a mixer book (with Sophie and Jack)? Know someone who really should get on board before its over? Now's the time to tell them!

What's next?

The book's got a website at jackfeelsbig.nz, and a facebook page at facebook.com/jackfeelsbig. Matt's been working hard and we've got one of the stories sketched up already, including an illustration of the NZSL sign. I'll keep you up to date as we work through making this book become reality and (all going well) in March we'll start shipping books out!

Its been pretty crazy making this whole thing happen and I really appreciate you guys for making it actually succeed! Thanks for sharing and pledging and providing me with the encouragement I needed!

Adam

First Milestone and New Reward Available

21/12/2015 at 5:37 PM

We got to the first milestone!

We've now got $6000 of pledges, which means that one of the stories will be re-illustrated with Sophie as the main character. Thanks to everyone who shared and who pledged! Its because of your support that we can make one of the stories more engaging for girls!

New Reward Available - Mixer Book!

With less than four hours remaining I've made a new reward available. You can get a limited edition super special printed copy of the book. For one of the stories (and maybe more!) you'll be able to have Sophie as the main character.

At this stage, we're guaranteed that there'll be one story available. If ten people take up this new reward, there'll be two! If you know anyone who'd be keen to get on board now that we've got this new option, tell them quick!

For all the other backers, the story (or stories!) that gets re-illustrated will be made available in a digital draft format, but nothing beats an actual, physical book for reading to kids.

Please keep sharing! 

You need to pledge to see this update.

Resourceful

19/12/2015 at 3:30 PM

Why should you teach your child the name for "resourceful"?

As well as teaching the names for feelings (like frustrated or overwhelmed) I'm wanting to include the names for virtues (like brave or reliable). Apart from making the book a little bit less bleak, I think that clearly teaching the concept of these virtues really helps encourage your children to pursue these virtues.

The ability to see a problem as a challenge and to creatively apply the what's available to solving it, I call that resourceful. I think that teaching a child this concept, through a story that applies the word, is a pretty good idea.

What does it really mean to be resourceful?

I think that the key components of this concept are:

when a new problem arises

see it as a challenge

and apply the resources available to solving it

even when the usefulness of the resources isn't obvious

To elaborate further:

Being resourceful isn't really something that applies to problems you've encountered and solved before, so I've specified "a new problem". I think the word "novel" works well with resourceful - both the problem and the solution are new.

For the second line, I've specified the attitude that a resourceful person takes when confronted with a problem. A lot of the problems that children face aren't terribly threatening. Teaching your child to appreciate the chance to improve themselves by treating problems as "challenges" is an important part in teaching them to be resourceful.

The third line is where we get to the "resource" part of resource. In everything we do, we apply particular means to achieve particular ends. This is not particularly unique to "being resourceful".

The last line is what makes a use of resources worth being labelled "resourceful". Using the things at hand in a way that isn't immediately obvious. This requires applying creativity to what's around us.

How do you teach your child the word "resourceful"?

In developing a story for resourceful, I wanted to keep it fairly simple. There's a lot of ways someone can be resourceful, but I didn't want to try to cram them all in there.

I went with a fairly simple story of improvisation.

Jack is playing with a marble run toy and runs out of pieces to transport the marble to his desired destination. With a little bit of encouragement he approaches the problem as a challenge to enjoy. He makes use of some books to fashion a channel for the marble to run along and succeeds at this goal.

You need to pledge to see this update.

Final Day for Jack Feels Big Pledgeme Campaign

19/12/2015 at 12:27 PM

Last day to support Sophie!

We're 70% of the way to reaching the first milestone for the Sophie version. I think having a book targeted at girls would be really great. We're not far from being able to have one story re-illustrated for Sophie, so please keep sharing and encouraging people to pledge. The campaign closes on Monday evening. 

New Writeups

The Updates page on the pledgeme campaign now has my writeups for Reliable, Touched Out. Out of My Depth, Persistent, Resourceful and Cooperating. These explain why I think the word is useful, what I think it means and how I plan to make it into a story. These are the feelings words you'll get to choose between in the final poll once the campaign finishes. 

Thanks so much for your help in getting Jack Feels Big this far, please keep spreading the word about Sophie!

Adam

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

Funded! Next up, Sophie Feels Big!

12/12/2015 at 9:01 PM

 

Funding Point Reached!

Wow! That last 15% went so fast! Its been a whole lot of hard work, but none of it would have come to anything if it wasn't for all you wonderful backers! Thank you so much for making Jack Feels Big become a reality! You're the best!

Sophie Feels Big

Sophie Feels Big

There's still 9 days left until the project closes, and I want to make the most of it. I'd really like to make a second version available. The concept is the same, the stories will be roughly the same, but it will be targeted at girls. Having a female main character will mean girls can identify with her even more.

How that works...

Because the leading cost in this is the illustrations, making a second book will cost about the same amount again. If we can get pledges for another five thousand dollars, I'll be able to make and print a Sophie Feels Big book. The extra illustrations will happen after Jack Feels Big has been finished and shipped (so there won't be a delay on those who pledged for Jack). Backers will be able to pick whether they want to receive Jack books in March or Sopie books in June. But printed Sophie books can only happen if we reach the full funding for Sophie by the 21st of December.

 

What we can do if we make it part way, is produce a digital “draft” version. For every thousand dollars of pledges, I'll be able be able to get one story illustrated. If we get part way to the $10,000 goal, I'll make a digital draft version available to all backers, with one story per milestone passed.

Please Keep Sharing

I think we've got a good shot at being able to fully fund Sophie's version of the book and I think it will have great benefit for the children who read it. Please share this with everyone you think would be keen. 

 

 

Te Reo and NZSL Names for Feelings!

10/12/2015 at 5:57 PM

 

Hey everybody! Here's the big news:

As well as teaching the English name for the feeling in each story, we're going to add the Te Reo and New Zealand Sign Language name.

I think this really adds a lot of value to the book for everyone.

If the pledgeme campaign reaches full funding this weekend we'll have the time to create our own illustrations showing Jack demonstrating the NZSL sign for each feeling, which will be really great.

I think that including all three of New Zealand's official languages is a worthwhile goal and I'd love it if you could help me. Could you please have a think and pick one friend to share this directly with? One way is to post it on their facebook wall and tell them why you think they should be keen.

 

 

Mockup

We're getting New Zealand Sign Langauge assistance from Lisa Masters, a New Plymouth Deaf NZSL Tutor. That's her at the end of the video demonstrating some signs. The image in the mock-up is from the Deaf Studies Research Unit, Victoria University of Wellington's online dictionary. They've given us permission to use their illustrations, but I'd really like to be able to produce our own. Teaching a child a sign from an illustration of a child, espeically a child they are familliar with (Jack) has definite advantages. The ability of the sign in the front of each story to add kinetic engagement is great. Sparking an interest in sign language and possibly allowing children to communicate with someone they otherwise couldn't is even better!

 For the Te Reo, I've been speaking with Te Ingo Ngaia of Te Reo o Taranaki. The mock-up above doesn't show it yet, but we'll include some help on pronouncing each word and a bit more about what the word means. Including Te Reo names for feelings adds yet another dimension of interest and another way of looking at each feeling. It expands the educational value of the book.

I'm really excited about these new features of the book! Please pick one person to pass this onto today. That would really help us to make the absolute best book for everyone!

 

 

Thanks!

Adam

81%, Big Announcement, Newspaper and more!

09/12/2015 at 7:24 PM

 

81% of Critical Funding

The campaign is roaring along, and that's thanks to all you wonderful backers. Thanks for getting on board and for sharing this with everyone you know!

 

Big Announcment Coming Tomorrow

I've been telling as many people as I can about Jack Feels Big and it has been wodnerful hearing feeling-name stories, getting extra feelings suggested and coming up with extra ideas for the book. Well, one really exciting extra idea is going to be announced tomorrow. I haven't quite finished putting everything together, but I really think this is going to add value to the book and the community, even more so if we can get the word out.

Newspaper and Stuff Article

The Taranaki Daily News did an article on Jack Feels Big! you can see the Stuff.co.nz article here.

Writeup on "Rejected"

Rejected polled pretty high in round three of voting. You can see my plans for that particular feeling on the Updates Page for the pledgeme campaign, and you can follow the development of the writeups on the facebook page. You can add your ideas in the mix too!

Thanks for being a part of this!

 

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

You need to pledge to see this update.

It has begun!

22/11/2015 at 12:44 AM

Thanks so much to everyone who has backed so far! Its the end of the first day and we're already past 10% funding. There's still lots to go, so please keep sharing!

I'll post tomorrow about voting for which feelings will go in the book, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, you can head over to the facebook page and make suggestions or have a look at what has been suggested!

Thanks again for being a part of this!

    Pledgers 114

    Saj Sivers
    21/12/2015 at 7:35pm

    "Happy to support this very cool project!"

    Anonymous pledger
    21/12/2015 at 7:09pm
    Matthew Jackson
    21/12/2015 at 6:35pm
    Kelsi Phillips
    21/12/2015 at 6:28pm
    Anonymous pledger
    21/12/2015 at 5:25pm
    Anonymous pledger
    21/12/2015 at 4:27pm
    Lisa
    21/12/2015 at 4:04pm

    "Hooray!"

    Sherrie
    21/12/2015 at 3:27pm
    Wei-Lin Fan
    20/12/2015 at 8:44pm

    "Congrats Adam! So awesome to see this finally launched :D"

    Ian Millen
    19/12/2015 at 8:57pm
    William Isbister
    19/12/2015 at 11:04am
    Caleb Millen
    18/12/2015 at 9:12am

    "I intend on donating to Elim College in Auckland and maybe some other school(s)"

    Steve carrie
    17/12/2015 at 8:57pm

    "Well done Adam, awesome effort and wish you all the best in your endeavours. Regards Steve Carrie"

    Paul Butler
    17/12/2015 at 8:18pm
    Anonymous pledger
    17/12/2015 at 9:20am

    "I'd love to see the Sophie version get made"

    Nathan
    13/12/2015 at 12:18am
    Anonymous pledger
    12/12/2015 at 3:35pm
    Anonymous pledger
    12/12/2015 at 2:42pm
    Dominika Gawor
    11/12/2015 at 9:10pm

    "What a fantastic project, best of luck Adam, looking forward to seeing the final product!"

    Kevin Taylor
    11/12/2015 at 8:26pm
    Kirsty Wood
    11/12/2015 at 5:56pm

    "Such a great idea and vision Adam. I look forward to seeing the end result! "

    Brendan Clough
    11/12/2015 at 3:26pm

    "Awesome work Adam! The introduction of both Te Reo and also Sign Language is brilliant! "

    Anonymous pledger
    11/12/2015 at 1:11pm
    Samuel Easton
    11/12/2015 at 12:40am

    "I've been a bit late getting here to pledge mate, but it's a great idea and I look forward to seeing the result! All the best"

    Sarah Walton
    10/12/2015 at 11:35pm
    justin butler
    10/12/2015 at 8:52pm

    "Proud of you cuz! God bless :)"

    Jun Yi
    10/12/2015 at 12:30am
    Tim
    08/12/2015 at 8:16pm

    "Almost there!"

    Philip McIvor
    08/12/2015 at 3:07am
    Michelle Bourke
    07/12/2015 at 7:22pm

    Followers 4

    Followers of Jack Feels Big - Children's Book of Feelings

    Jack Feels Big - Children's Book Of Feelings

    Project 2015-11-15 12:42:28 +1300

     

     

    Minimum Funding Reached - Please keep pledging so that we can include Sophie

     

    What's the book for?

     

    It's one thing to teach your child the names for things you can point at, but what about the things you can't, like feelings and virtues? Jack Feels Big is a children's book that uses a collection of small stories as a tool to help teach children the names for their feelings.

    This project is for the first volume, which will contain five small stories.

    Each story is about five pages long:

    • Jack is introduced (generally dressed up in costume)
    • Something happens
    • A particular feeling is clearly identified
    • There's some sort of resolution.

    You can start reading this book to your child as soon as they're old enough to sit and listen. If they're old enough that the simple stories don't interest them, try tricking them into learning by having them read the book to a younger child. Even some adults could use some help figuring out what they're feeling. 

    Introducing: Sophie

     

    Jack Feels Big was created as a tool to teach kids in general the names for their feelings, but the main character was deliberately male, because there seems to be less material available for this sort of thing targetd at boys.

    Having achieved the minimum funding goal for Jack, I would really like to make a second version available. The concept is the same, the stories will be roughly the same, but it will be targeted at girls. Having a female main character will mean girls can identify with her even more.

    Because the leading cost in this is the illustrations, making a second book will cost about the same amount again. If we can get pledges for another five thousand dollars, I'll be able to make and print a Sophie Feels Big book.

    The extra illustrations will happen after Jack Feels Big has been finished and shipped (so there won't be a delay on those who pledged for Jack). Backers will be able to pick whether they want to receive Jack books in March or Sopie books in June. But printed Sophie books can only happen if we reach the full funding for Sophie by the 21st of December.

    What we can do if we make it part way, is produce a digital “draft” version. For every thousand dollars of pledges, I'll be able be able to get one story illustrated. If we get part way to the $10,000 goal, I'll make a digital draft version available to all backers, with one story per milestone passed - currently we've got one in the bag, four to go!

    What will backers get?

    The Involvement of Votes, Input and Updates

    Votes

    This first volume of Jack Feels Big will contain five stories. Throughout the campaign, backers will have the opportunity to vote on which three feelings and two virtues will get illustrated and make it into the book. Votes will take place at particular milestones along the path to full funding, so the sooner you get involved, the more influence you'll have on the final product.

    I've already written stories for Lonely, Rejected, Brave, Reliable, Resourceful, Cooperating, Frustrated, Out of My Depth, Overwhelmed, Hangry and Touched-out. Other possibilites include Alert, Dissappointed, Honest, Intimidated, Loyal, Envy, Courteous, Kind, Jealousy, Thoughtful, Embarassed, Obedient, Persistant, Worried, Sympathetic, Vulnerable. 

    Input

    There's a lot of thought that goes into each story, to ensure that it clearly conveys what defines that particular feeling. I want to get your input. What emotions are important? How do we define them? What scenario would best illustrate it? My backers have a deep and broad pool of experience and while I have come up with stories for a dozen of the emotions, I'm keen to get your ideas and to see if I can improve what I've got. If you have any questions or suggestions, head over to the facebook page.

    Updates

    Its going to be an exciting journey and I want to keep you informed as it all develops. During the campaign itself I'll keep you up to date with preparations for the book. As we select which stories will go into the book, I'll post the process of figuring out what defines that feeling and coming up with a story to illustrate it. Once we've got funding, you'll get to see the illustrations as they make their way from my clumsy story board to Matt's sketches, to coloured final drawings. 

    A copy of the book (for $25 and above)

    All rewards above the $25 level (and $20 for the quick) will include a copy of the book, which we expect to ship in March:

    • Paper back
    • Perfect bound
    • Full colour
    • 14.8cm high x 21cm wide 
    • 36 pages (5 stories plus tips on getting the most out of it)

    Exact specifications may vary, and may improve if the print run is large enough. The custom print hard cover special pack copy will be hard cover (naturally) and 20cm high x 28cm wide.

    If you're ordering a physical reward from outside of New Zealand you'll have to add $5 to your pledge to cover international shipping. 

    Special Involvement (for the upper level pledges)

    Most of the rewards above $100 come with "special" involvement. This includes all the votes, input and updates of the lower rewards, plus you'll be included in a group chat just for the top-tier backers. You'll get a headstart on input and updates once the campaign is completed.

    Donation Pack

    The reward for a $100 pledge is a give two, get to nominate two institutions (school, library, club) to receive a book donated in your name. This is a great way to make sure that your school or local community benefits. If you'd like you can nominate just one institution to receive both books, or you can choose to receive just one book, with three of them going to your chosen institution(s).

    Te Reo and NZSL Names for Feelings

    As well as the English name for each feeling being shown at the start of each story, there will also be the closest Te Reo translation and the New Zealand Sign Language Sign for that feeling. We'll also include relevant information on the Te Reo word (definition, background, pronounciation) (not shown in the mock-up above). There'll be some help in the front of the book with making the most of these added languages. 

    I think the inclusion of additional languages adds a lot of value. It gives an extra point of interest for each story, as well as sparking the reader's interest in these languages. Jack Feels Big will be teaching kids the names for their feelings in all three of New Zealand's official languages!

    Since we got to the $5,000 minimum funding point ahead of time, we'll also be able to to create illustrations showing Jack demonstrating the NZSL sign. Thanks to everyone who pledged to make this happen.

    Here's the video from the announcement of this: Te Reo and NZSL Titles for Jack Feels Big 

     

    Who's Involved?

    The Author

    Author

    I'm Adam Millen, an engineer who is keen on seeing crazy ideas become reality. What's crazier than an engineer with no kids writing a children's book about feelings? Underestimating the power of applying an analytical mind to a complicated topic like feelings, that's crazier. I'm used to breaking complex systems into their parts and making them easier to understand. There's a short video introducing Adam here.

    The Illustrator

    Matt Haworth trained at Animation College NZ and has five years of experience as a freelance illustrator. He teaches illustration classes with McLeay Workshops, sells his art books and fanart at conventions like CHROMACON and even has past experience with crowdfunded projects (he illustrated for Imagistory, a wordless picture book app, to inspire your child to be the storyteller). He's a black belt in Taekwondo and enjoys B-Grade horror movies. There's a short video introducing Matt here.

    Our Supporters

    There's a whole crowd of family and friends who have got us this far and who are continuing to support us with encouragment, advice and hopefully some cake. We appreciate your part in this everyone!

    Our Pledgeme Backers

    That's you! Someone who sees how great this book can be and wants to be involved. 

    When will it all happen?

    The campaign will close on the 21st of December. Once we've cleared the campaign goal, I'll meet with Matt and we'll block out illustrations for the first couple of stories. There'll be a bit of a break over Christmas and New Year, then Matt will begin illustrating. As each story is completed the pledgeme backers will be updated with sneak peeks at how the books is going to look. We're expecting the illustrations to be finished by the end of February. Then the book will be typeset and go to the printers. We should have the printed books by the end of March and start sending them out. 

    How will the money be spent?

    The campaign's critical-mass goal is $5000. This balances the fixed cost (illustrating five stories of five pages each) with the per-book costs (printing and postage) and the campaign-size costs (the pledgeme fees).  

    Comments

    Jack Feels Big - helping kids up and down New Zealand learn the names for their feelings

    29/06/2017 at 10:32 AM

    Adam reading to JohnsonvilleEmily reads to Adam and class

    Adam reading the frustrated story to Johnsonville Childcare / Emily reading to Adam and the kids

    Thanks for backing my crowdfunding campaign for Jack Feels Big back in 2015. I've been visiting schools and childcare centers recently, reading the book to the kids. It's been having a huge impact and I wanted to share a bit of that with you.

    I've read it to more than 150 groups around the North Island just in the last few months. There must be about 600 copies in use around New Zealand now. It's really great to see how engaged the kids get with the stories. I put extra emphasis on the frustrated story, since it suits getting quite emotive. I show the kids the sign language sign, and get them to do it too, showing me their "frustrated faces". The kids get really into it, and it helps them associate the word with the feeling.

    Last week was the best visit ever - I visited Johnsonville Childcare and it was the second time I'd been there. The kids had been reading the book a lot in the month since I'd last visited and the kids had gotten really familiar with it. After I finished the stories and most of the kids had taken off for some outside play, one little girl asked if she could have a turn reading to me. Emily took the book and sat down on the chair at the front. She flipped to the first page of the first story and asked everyone "What's Jack wearing today?" (which is how I start each story when I'm reading to groups). She proceeded to tell the story as best she could remember (she's four and wasn't actually reading it). As she went through the five stories, proudly telling us all about Jack's little adventures and the feelings he felt, I felt really proud. I was pretty happy back in early 2016 when I'd successfully created the book, but to now see the effect that it's having was so special. And it's all thanks to you! Without the people who backed that first crowdfunding campaign, none of this would have happened.

    If you'd like another copy of the book, for the next two weeks (until July 13) you can get free shipping using code OBWSHIP when you order at www.jackfeelsbig.nz. If you know somebody else who would appreciate it, feel free to pass this code on.

    Thanks again for your support!

    Adam

    p.s. I'm gearing up for another crack at making a second volume. The next book will have five new feeling-stories and female main character. If you're not already on the list, you can get involved by putting your email address in at www.jackfeelsbig.nz/sophie

    All rewards sent + Sophie is Persistent Download

    02/06/2016 at 3:46 PM

    All Rewards Sent!

    I have now sent out the last of the books, including the special edition hardcover and the Jack and Sophie mixer book! I'm a bit new to logistics, so sorry if it took longer than it should have. If you didn't recieve your copy, or it wasn't all you were expecting, please don't hesistate to let me know - [email protected]. I want to make it right.

    If you got your copy and love it, I'd love to know that too! If you want to post some rave reviews on the facebook page, you can do that. 

    So that's the campaign completed, except for one thing:

    Sophie is Persistent!

    The illustrations for single-story Sophie is Persistent are completed and you can download a pdf here.  

    Thanks!

    I couldn't have done this without you, thanks so much for being part of this. I hope you enjoyed the journey and the book!

     

    Until next time,

    Adam Millen

    Author (thanks to you)

    Printed, online and a discount code!

    26/03/2016 at 10:10 AM

    Jack Feels Big has now been printed!

    I'm in New Plymouth this weekend and will be getting as many books to my Taranaki backers as I can. I'll also be signing, packaging and posting books to backers in other parts of the country (and other countries!).

    The website now has a buy button!

    If you would like more copies of Jack Feels Big, or if you know someone who missed the crowdfunding campaign, I've got an online store set up now. I want my backers to be the first to know. Currently you'll need to sign in to paypal to process a credit card payment or go with direct deposit or bitcoin. I'm working on having an option to pay with credit card and not have to sign in to paypal. 

    Discount Code

    Because you're all so special, here's a 15% discount code, for you or your friends. Its valid until the end of April. Just type in BKRJFBR1 when you're purchasing a book!

    Jack Feels Big - Proof printed!

    20/03/2016 at 11:25 PM

    Just a quick update - the printing company have provided me with a proof. It looks great and we should have the book printed by Thursday! Check out the little video, and thank you so much for making this happen!

    Jack Feels Big in Final Draft Stage

    04/03/2016 at 4:50 PM

    Jack Feels Big is now at Final Draft Stage!

    We're almost there everybody! I've had the text reviewed by an editor, Matt has finalised the illustration files and it's all been passed to the printing company!

    The printing people will get everything professionally laid out and print a proof so we can see how it will look bound (probably next week). Once that's accepted, they go to work printing off four hundred copies of the book (about half from the pledgeme campaign and half in anticipation of starting websales).  That will probably be the week after next.

    Once they've printed it, I start sorting and signing and stuffing them all into envelopes! If you're in New Plymouth I might manage a personal delivery over Easter. I think everyone should have their copy by the end of this month :D

    It's getting so close! And, just in case you forgot, it's all thanks to you!

    Thanks! 

    Adam

    Sophie Feels Persistent - How much to change?

    20/02/2016 at 1:36 PM

     

    Thanks so much for your input. The highest polling feeling was Persistent, so Sophie's going to keep on swatting until she gets the fly. Have a look at the Jack version of the story on facebook and tell me whether you think the bedroom is going to need some changes to make it Sophie's!

     

    Adam

    Vote for Sophie's Feeling / Jack Illustrations Near Completion

    15/02/2016 at 8:21 PM

    Hey everyone!

    The book is getting really close to fully illustrated. That means that soon Matt can move on to re-illustrating one of the stories with Sophie as the main character. I want to know which of the feelings you would like to be the one reillustrated. 

    Vote for Sophie's Feeling

    You'll be getting a survey email shortly. I'll be asking which feeling, but I'd also like to know if you think that the stories would need to be changed a little bit (or a lot) to suit Sophie.

    As well as answering the survey, you can have input by discussing the question on the facebook page or on twitter. I've posted which one I think would be best!

    Jack Illustrations

    Here's a couple of illustrations from each story. I think they all look so great!

     

    In the first story, Jack is dressed as a pirate. But before he can go see the pirate show, he has to clean his room. There's so much mess he feels overwhelmed.

     

     

    In the second story, Jack is wearing a sailor's hat and lifejacket. But when it comes to getting in the boat he finds he's going to need to be brave.

     

     In the third story, Jack is dressed in a construction worker outfit. But when his tower keeps falling down he feels frustrated.

     

     

    In the fourth story, Jack is wearing his Judo uniform. He needs to be persistent to swat a fly. 

     

     

    In the fifth story, Jack is wearing his pyjamas. He's enjoyed looking at picturebooks, but now he'd like to play with someone. There's nobody to play with and he feels lonely.

     

    Don't worry too much for Jack, there's a resolution for each story!

    Thanks for being part of making this happen!

    Adam

    Progress

    24/01/2016 at 5:39 PM

    Sketches turning into illustrations

    I've used the sketches to test the stories on kids and get feedback from other people. I've made some adjustments - a couple of them needed their story arc better balaned. The illustrations are underway and we're doing well on the schedule. Looking forward to getting the books finished, printed and sent out!

    The animated gif above should fade through from my rough, to Matt's sketch, to Matt's full coloured illustration. I picked this one because I'm just blown away by how well he's done Oliver jumping off the pier, and the amazing background. Note my version of Oliver lacked knees entirely! It's really exciting every time I get updates from Matt.

     Adam

    Five Feelings Chosen, Sketches Begun!

    03/01/2016 at 11:08 AM

    Feelings Selected

    Image

    Thanks for all your input, I've tallied the votes and the five feelings to go into the first volume of Jack Feels Big are:

    Lonely, Persistent, Frustrated, Brave and Overwhelmed.

    I don't have a picture for persistent yet because that was a late entry, suggested on the facebook page. I haven't decided what story to use for it - my basketball idea or the backer suggestion of persistence in hunting and swatting a fly. 

    Have your say on the facebook page!

    Illustrations Are in Progress

    Our illustrator (the marvelous Matt Haworth) has been working away at illustrations for the book. We're starting with sketches for each story. Above are roughing-out sketches for "overwhelmed". I'm really impressed by how well Matt captures emotions in his drawings!

    Thanks for being a part of this!

    Adam Millen

    Survey, About You and Sketches

    23/12/2015 at 11:12 PM

    Important Survey!

    I've gotten the pledger information through from Pledgeme and there's a detailed survey coming your way aftter Christmas. This will have some general questions to help me provide you with the best service, some of which I really need to know the answers to. If you're getting a signed copy of the book, that's how you let me know who it's for.

    Most importantly, it lets you tell me which of the feelings you most want to see in the book. It will come through in your email shortly. If you want your vote to count, please submit the survey by the 30th of December.

    Here's what I know so far:

    We had 108 different pledgers order 175 copies of the book. There's a lot from Taranaki. There's backers in Auckland and Wellington of course, but a good turn out from Hamilton and Christchurch. We've got a couple in Porirua and a couple more in Putaru. Gisbourne, Napier, Taupo, Tauranga, Tokoroa, Whangarei and Dunedin are also represented.

    We've got a bunch from over the ditch. Mostly from Brisbane, but also a couple from Adelaide, and one from each of Darwin, Kalgoorlie, Perth and Sydney.

    There's even two from Indonesia and one from Brunei!

    Here's a look at the sketches Matt's been doing!

    Rough

     

     This is work-in-progress for the story for “frustrated”. I'm toying with whether to expand the story a little so that Jack comes up with a solution on his own.

     

    Thank you!

    22/12/2015 at 6:19 PM

    THANKS!

    I really appreciate every share, retweet and personally delivered "have a look at this". I am so thankful to everybody who pledged for whatever reason - without you all the hard work would have meant nothing.

    We're already making progress on the illustrations and they are looking great. I'll keep you posted, but for now, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and THANK YOU SO MUCH!

    Adam!

    Just About Done

    21/12/2015 at 8:44 PM

    Any last pledgers?

    There's about fifteen minutes left, want to get yourself a mixer book (with Sophie and Jack)? Know someone who really should get on board before its over? Now's the time to tell them!

    What's next?

    The book's got a website at jackfeelsbig.nz, and a facebook page at facebook.com/jackfeelsbig. Matt's been working hard and we've got one of the stories sketched up already, including an illustration of the NZSL sign. I'll keep you up to date as we work through making this book become reality and (all going well) in March we'll start shipping books out!

    Its been pretty crazy making this whole thing happen and I really appreciate you guys for making it actually succeed! Thanks for sharing and pledging and providing me with the encouragement I needed!

    Adam

    First Milestone and New Reward Available

    21/12/2015 at 5:37 PM

    We got to the first milestone!

    We've now got $6000 of pledges, which means that one of the stories will be re-illustrated with Sophie as the main character. Thanks to everyone who shared and who pledged! Its because of your support that we can make one of the stories more engaging for girls!

    New Reward Available - Mixer Book!

    With less than four hours remaining I've made a new reward available. You can get a limited edition super special printed copy of the book. For one of the stories (and maybe more!) you'll be able to have Sophie as the main character.

    At this stage, we're guaranteed that there'll be one story available. If ten people take up this new reward, there'll be two! If you know anyone who'd be keen to get on board now that we've got this new option, tell them quick!

    For all the other backers, the story (or stories!) that gets re-illustrated will be made available in a digital draft format, but nothing beats an actual, physical book for reading to kids.

    Please keep sharing! 

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    Resourceful

    19/12/2015 at 3:30 PM

    Why should you teach your child the name for "resourceful"?

    As well as teaching the names for feelings (like frustrated or overwhelmed) I'm wanting to include the names for virtues (like brave or reliable). Apart from making the book a little bit less bleak, I think that clearly teaching the concept of these virtues really helps encourage your children to pursue these virtues.

    The ability to see a problem as a challenge and to creatively apply the what's available to solving it, I call that resourceful. I think that teaching a child this concept, through a story that applies the word, is a pretty good idea.

    What does it really mean to be resourceful?

    I think that the key components of this concept are:

    when a new problem arises

    see it as a challenge

    and apply the resources available to solving it

    even when the usefulness of the resources isn't obvious

    To elaborate further:

    Being resourceful isn't really something that applies to problems you've encountered and solved before, so I've specified "a new problem". I think the word "novel" works well with resourceful - both the problem and the solution are new.

    For the second line, I've specified the attitude that a resourceful person takes when confronted with a problem. A lot of the problems that children face aren't terribly threatening. Teaching your child to appreciate the chance to improve themselves by treating problems as "challenges" is an important part in teaching them to be resourceful.

    The third line is where we get to the "resource" part of resource. In everything we do, we apply particular means to achieve particular ends. This is not particularly unique to "being resourceful".

    The last line is what makes a use of resources worth being labelled "resourceful". Using the things at hand in a way that isn't immediately obvious. This requires applying creativity to what's around us.

    How do you teach your child the word "resourceful"?

    In developing a story for resourceful, I wanted to keep it fairly simple. There's a lot of ways someone can be resourceful, but I didn't want to try to cram them all in there.

    I went with a fairly simple story of improvisation.

    Jack is playing with a marble run toy and runs out of pieces to transport the marble to his desired destination. With a little bit of encouragement he approaches the problem as a challenge to enjoy. He makes use of some books to fashion a channel for the marble to run along and succeeds at this goal.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    Final Day for Jack Feels Big Pledgeme Campaign

    19/12/2015 at 12:27 PM

    Last day to support Sophie!

    We're 70% of the way to reaching the first milestone for the Sophie version. I think having a book targeted at girls would be really great. We're not far from being able to have one story re-illustrated for Sophie, so please keep sharing and encouraging people to pledge. The campaign closes on Monday evening. 

    New Writeups

    The Updates page on the pledgeme campaign now has my writeups for Reliable, Touched Out. Out of My Depth, Persistent, Resourceful and Cooperating. These explain why I think the word is useful, what I think it means and how I plan to make it into a story. These are the feelings words you'll get to choose between in the final poll once the campaign finishes. 

    Thanks so much for your help in getting Jack Feels Big this far, please keep spreading the word about Sophie!

    Adam

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    Funded! Next up, Sophie Feels Big!

    12/12/2015 at 9:01 PM

     

    Funding Point Reached!

    Wow! That last 15% went so fast! Its been a whole lot of hard work, but none of it would have come to anything if it wasn't for all you wonderful backers! Thank you so much for making Jack Feels Big become a reality! You're the best!

    Sophie Feels Big

    Sophie Feels Big

    There's still 9 days left until the project closes, and I want to make the most of it. I'd really like to make a second version available. The concept is the same, the stories will be roughly the same, but it will be targeted at girls. Having a female main character will mean girls can identify with her even more.

    How that works...

    Because the leading cost in this is the illustrations, making a second book will cost about the same amount again. If we can get pledges for another five thousand dollars, I'll be able to make and print a Sophie Feels Big book. The extra illustrations will happen after Jack Feels Big has been finished and shipped (so there won't be a delay on those who pledged for Jack). Backers will be able to pick whether they want to receive Jack books in March or Sopie books in June. But printed Sophie books can only happen if we reach the full funding for Sophie by the 21st of December.

     

    What we can do if we make it part way, is produce a digital “draft” version. For every thousand dollars of pledges, I'll be able be able to get one story illustrated. If we get part way to the $10,000 goal, I'll make a digital draft version available to all backers, with one story per milestone passed.

    Please Keep Sharing

    I think we've got a good shot at being able to fully fund Sophie's version of the book and I think it will have great benefit for the children who read it. Please share this with everyone you think would be keen. 

     

     

    Te Reo and NZSL Names for Feelings!

    10/12/2015 at 5:57 PM

     

    Hey everybody! Here's the big news:

    As well as teaching the English name for the feeling in each story, we're going to add the Te Reo and New Zealand Sign Language name.

    I think this really adds a lot of value to the book for everyone.

    If the pledgeme campaign reaches full funding this weekend we'll have the time to create our own illustrations showing Jack demonstrating the NZSL sign for each feeling, which will be really great.

    I think that including all three of New Zealand's official languages is a worthwhile goal and I'd love it if you could help me. Could you please have a think and pick one friend to share this directly with? One way is to post it on their facebook wall and tell them why you think they should be keen.

     

     

    Mockup

    We're getting New Zealand Sign Langauge assistance from Lisa Masters, a New Plymouth Deaf NZSL Tutor. That's her at the end of the video demonstrating some signs. The image in the mock-up is from the Deaf Studies Research Unit, Victoria University of Wellington's online dictionary. They've given us permission to use their illustrations, but I'd really like to be able to produce our own. Teaching a child a sign from an illustration of a child, espeically a child they are familliar with (Jack) has definite advantages. The ability of the sign in the front of each story to add kinetic engagement is great. Sparking an interest in sign language and possibly allowing children to communicate with someone they otherwise couldn't is even better!

     For the Te Reo, I've been speaking with Te Ingo Ngaia of Te Reo o Taranaki. The mock-up above doesn't show it yet, but we'll include some help on pronouncing each word and a bit more about what the word means. Including Te Reo names for feelings adds yet another dimension of interest and another way of looking at each feeling. It expands the educational value of the book.

    I'm really excited about these new features of the book! Please pick one person to pass this onto today. That would really help us to make the absolute best book for everyone!

     

     

    Thanks!

    Adam

    81%, Big Announcement, Newspaper and more!

    09/12/2015 at 7:24 PM

     

    81% of Critical Funding

    The campaign is roaring along, and that's thanks to all you wonderful backers. Thanks for getting on board and for sharing this with everyone you know!

     

    Big Announcment Coming Tomorrow

    I've been telling as many people as I can about Jack Feels Big and it has been wodnerful hearing feeling-name stories, getting extra feelings suggested and coming up with extra ideas for the book. Well, one really exciting extra idea is going to be announced tomorrow. I haven't quite finished putting everything together, but I really think this is going to add value to the book and the community, even more so if we can get the word out.

    Newspaper and Stuff Article

    The Taranaki Daily News did an article on Jack Feels Big! you can see the Stuff.co.nz article here.

    Writeup on "Rejected"

    Rejected polled pretty high in round three of voting. You can see my plans for that particular feeling on the Updates Page for the pledgeme campaign, and you can follow the development of the writeups on the facebook page. You can add your ideas in the mix too!

    Thanks for being a part of this!

     

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    You need to pledge to see this update.

    It has begun!

    22/11/2015 at 12:44 AM

    Thanks so much to everyone who has backed so far! Its the end of the first day and we're already past 10% funding. There's still lots to go, so please keep sharing!

    I'll post tomorrow about voting for which feelings will go in the book, so keep an eye out for that. Until then, you can head over to the facebook page and make suggestions or have a look at what has been suggested!

    Thanks again for being a part of this!

      Saj Sivers
      21/12/2015 at 7:35pm

      "Happy to support this very cool project!"

      Anonymous pledger
      21/12/2015 at 7:09pm
      Matthew Jackson
      21/12/2015 at 6:35pm
      Kelsi Phillips
      21/12/2015 at 6:28pm
      Anonymous pledger
      21/12/2015 at 5:25pm
      Anonymous pledger
      21/12/2015 at 4:27pm
      Lisa
      21/12/2015 at 4:04pm

      "Hooray!"

      Sherrie
      21/12/2015 at 3:27pm
      Wei-Lin Fan
      20/12/2015 at 8:44pm

      "Congrats Adam! So awesome to see this finally launched :D"

      Ian Millen
      19/12/2015 at 8:57pm
      William Isbister
      19/12/2015 at 11:04am
      Caleb Millen
      18/12/2015 at 9:12am

      "I intend on donating to Elim College in Auckland and maybe some other school(s)"

      Steve carrie
      17/12/2015 at 8:57pm

      "Well done Adam, awesome effort and wish you all the best in your endeavours. Regards Steve Carrie"

      Paul Butler
      17/12/2015 at 8:18pm
      Anonymous pledger
      17/12/2015 at 9:20am

      "I'd love to see the Sophie version get made"

      Nathan
      13/12/2015 at 12:18am
      Anonymous pledger
      12/12/2015 at 3:35pm
      Anonymous pledger
      12/12/2015 at 2:42pm
      Dominika Gawor
      11/12/2015 at 9:10pm

      "What a fantastic project, best of luck Adam, looking forward to seeing the final product!"

      Kevin Taylor
      11/12/2015 at 8:26pm
      Kirsty Wood
      11/12/2015 at 5:56pm

      "Such a great idea and vision Adam. I look forward to seeing the end result! "

      Brendan Clough
      11/12/2015 at 3:26pm

      "Awesome work Adam! The introduction of both Te Reo and also Sign Language is brilliant! "

      Anonymous pledger
      11/12/2015 at 1:11pm
      Samuel Easton
      11/12/2015 at 12:40am

      "I've been a bit late getting here to pledge mate, but it's a great idea and I look forward to seeing the result! All the best"

      Sarah Walton
      10/12/2015 at 11:35pm
      justin butler
      10/12/2015 at 8:52pm

      "Proud of you cuz! God bless :)"

      Jun Yi
      10/12/2015 at 12:30am
      Tim
      08/12/2015 at 8:16pm

      "Almost there!"

      Philip McIvor
      08/12/2015 at 3:07am
      Michelle Bourke
      07/12/2015 at 7:22pm

      Followers of Jack Feels Big - Children's Book of Feelings

      This campaign was successful and got its funding on 21/12/2015 at 9:00 PM.