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LEE CURRIE CHATS TO TWO YOUNG MOTHERS WHO HAVE TURNED THEIR TRAVEL ADVENTURES INTO PERSONALISED CHILDREN’S BOOKS – ALL IN THE NAME OF ENCOURAGING READING AND OPENING LITTLE PEOPLE’S EYES TO THE WORLD
Books full of
CHARACTER
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ortunately, despite our advanced digital age, printed books have not yet lost their appeal. Indeed, for many children the sight and feel (and smell) of a brand-new book still generates pleasant anticipation, if not excitement – and particularly if the child is the lead character in the story. With this concept in mind, friends Isabelle Backx and Shannon Vermaak took the opportunity during lockdown to start their own personalised children’s book publishing business. The idea was born when Shannon began illustrating a personalised book for her four-year-old twins. Isabelle – who has a Master’s Degree in Business Economics – was immediately taken by the idea: “At the time I was looking for something
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different to do and saw this as a business opportunity. “We started on our first book during the lockdown period early in 2020 when people were obliged to stay at home. Many of us had previously taken the freedom of travel for granted and Shannon and I had many discussions about the places we had seen and those we still wanted to explore. We thought, why not bring the world to children through our books?” Each book is personalised, where the name of the young “protagonist” and his or her
It’s a story in which children become the lead character and at the same time find out what he or she can do in different countries and learn about the culture
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ABOVE: Shannon, Connor, Quade, Noah and Isabelle share happy time together. RIGHT: Starting young – Isabelle reads a story to Noah about his big brother Connor. image features throughout the story. The illustrations are unique; hand drawn and painted with water colours. “We entitled the book Discover the World. It’s a story in which children become the lead character and at the same time find out what he or she can do in different countries and learn about the culture. “Children can be the harshest
