Kickstarter

5/9 UPDATE: Click the "Update" tab just above for a more full update on our progress. Here are some sample spreads from our first book. Just a few weeks 'til launch!
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4/15 UPDATE: Wow!! Thanks to some amazing friends, family, and strangers, we reached our funding goal just 72 hours after launching this project. Wahoo! The project will remain live on Kickstarter until May 25 and any funds raised beyond our original goal will be used to get an early start on art for our next book(s). Huge "thanks" to everyone, not only for the financial support but also the enthusiasm you've expressed for our project. It means the world! -Christine and Shawn
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Thanks for visiting our Lookio Books Kickstarter page! If you haven't watched our video yet, it will give you a quick introduction to us and our customizable book project. Want to know how all this will work? Read on, friend!

Our goal is to help you put a real-world youngster right into a high-quality, hardcover book. The little one will see his or her name right on the cover and throughout the story, along with a character in his or her likeness. 

To build a custom Lookio Book, you'll visit our website (www.lookiobooks.com – currently in development) and choose either an illustrated character book or a photo character book. For our illustrated character books you'll:

• Enter a little one's name
• Specify his or her gender
• Customize the story's main character to resemble your little one by choosing from a list of physical traits (hair style, hair color, skin tone, etc.)
• Preview your character and the entire book 

Our photo character books are similar, but after you enter the little one's name and choose a gender, you'll upload a photo of the child’s face. Using our website's tools, you'll resize and crop the photo to fit the assigned space. The photo will then be added into the book art so the little one appears as the character on each book spread.

(NOTE: Soon we'll post some sample spreads from our first two books so you can get a sneak peek at the art. There will be an update here when we do so.)

Our Kickstarter project is to launch our first two books -- a bedtime book and a "when I grow up" book. We've already invested quite a bit of our own funds in Lookio, but we need your help getting over the finish line. We still need to purchase expensive printing and book binding equipment. 

We started this project for a lot of reasons, but one of the most important ones is that we see limitless value in getting kids excited about reading. Our goal is to spark young imaginations and a love of reading by putting little ones right into the books they’re holding in their hands. We've talked to numerous adults who still remember a personalized book or gift they received when they were young. When you're a kid, something that's made just for you is extra special. That's what we hope a Lookio Book can be to a little one.

We'd be eternally grateful for your support and are offering the rewards listed on the right of this page. You're the best.
-Shawn Currie and Christine Currie

p.s. You can also join us on Twitter, Facebook, and/or read our blog -- nearly every day we discuss the children’s books that make us shout "Hooray!"