Sophie Feels Like Me By Adam Millen

About Sophie Feels Like Me

Project 2017-11-02 00:55:04 +1300

A book to help kids learn the names for their feelings - through stories!

Sophie Feels Like Me helps your child learn some important-but-tricky words by putting those words into stories that they can relate to. The stories are based around playground and classroom situations they're familiar with. They feature changing costumes and colourful illustrations that keep them engaged. 

Sophie Feels Like Me will contain five small stories. 

• Embarrassed
• Humility
• Grief
• Empathy
• Rejection

Each story is about six pages long:

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

The stories are targeted at 3 to 7-year-olds

You can start reading the books 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.

Weekend Bonus - Feeling Chart Posters for everyone

We're pretty close! If the crowdfunding campaign gets to fully funded by the end of the weekend, I'll include a feeling chart poster with each book reward in the crowdfunding campaign. This applies if you've already backed, or if you back this weekend. The chart will feature illustrations from each story in both Jack Feels Big and Sophie Feels Like me. 

You can use it in a classroom or child's room (or staff room or office!) to help your kids to remember to use their words. It's a little bonus for everyone if we can get to 100% funded by the end of this weekend.

Pledging your support gets you rewards!

Pledging $25 will get you a copy of the book delivered in NZ. If you'd like, this can be a copy of Jack Feels Big rather than Sophie Feels Like me. If you'd like more than one copy, just add $20 for each additional copy you'd like on the confirmation page. If you want something to put under the tree for Christmas, note that I'm not expecting to have Sophie Feels Like Me in print in time, but I can get you copies of Jack Feels Big.

I've got some special misprint copies of Jack Feels Big where Jack's hair is purple in half the pictures. These are definitely limited edition! Have a look what they look like here.

Pledging $100 will get you a canvas print of any scene from Jack Feels Big or Sophie Feels Like Me. The imagination scene from Jack's "lonely" story is a good candidate! Have a look here.

If you'd like to own a piece of history in exchange for your support, you can get the manuscript of my brain storming notes on the differences between embarrassed/ashamed/humiliated/guilty or the pencil sketches Matt made in developing the character Sophie. 

Pledge $250 and you can get a baker's dozen Library Pack. That can be thirteen of Sophie Feels Like Me, or a mix of Jack / Sophie books.

I've included a limited set of cameos as rewards. This means that you get to provide a reference photo for Matt to base one of the other characters on. This could be your child, your grandchild, you as a child (there aren't any adult cameos available) or whoever you'd like to appear in the book. First to pledge will be first to pick from the available cast. You'll also get one print of the character (and this can be delivered by Christmas, even though the book will take a little longer to arrive). You can see some more details here.

If you'd like a visit from the author for a reading you can have it! Or you can commission the illustrator, Matt Haworth to do a drawing just for you.

Each story has the feeling-word in te reo Māori and New Zealand Sign Language

This means that all three of New Zealand's official languages are included. I'm getting help from van Asch Deaf Education Centre's Andrew Townshend for the NZSL (and we're also planning a video of a full NZSL translation at some point).

I'll be getting te reo translation from a translation organisation, and in addition to the five feeling words, I'll be able to get the text of one of the stories translate as well (this won't appear in the book itself, but will be made available digitally).

Written by me - Adam Millen

I'm Adam Millen, an engineer who is keen on seeing crazy ideas become reality. Taking the first book in this series, Jack Feels Big volume 1, from crazy idea to reality was a huge learning experience, a heap of work and incredibly rewarding. Adam enjoys exploring the outdoors and reading the internet. There's a short video introducing me here.

With amazing illustrations by Matt Haworth

Matt Haworth trained at Animation College NZ and has six 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.

The book should be in your hands by the end of February

We've got illustrations to colour, texts to proof and stories to trial. After that the files need to be set and the books printed. Finally, lots of envelopes get stuffed and addressed and the postman brings them to you. If you opt to receive a copy of Jack Feels Big as a reward, I will be able to mail that immediately after the campaign closes (if you're after something for Christmas). If you go for a cameo, I can get a print of the character by Christmas too.

We're going to need to reach $6,000 worth of pre-orders

The costs break down like this:

The campaign's critical-mass goal is $6,000. This balances the fixed cost (illustrating five stories plus professional text editing and language translations) with the per-book costs (printing and postage) and the campaign-size costs (the pledgeme fees).   

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