Annabelle & Aiden is a pro-science children’s book series (and, dare we say, community & movement?) dedicated to inspiring a new generation of scientists, thinkers, and all-around adventurers. We ask the big questions that children inevitably wonder: Where did humans come from? What happens when we die? How did the universe get here? Grounded Parents called our books “a marriage of scientific discovery and magical wonder.” It’s science – with (lots and lots of) heart. Our books are tailored to foster curiosity, wonder, critical thinking skills, and inspiration on the line where science and philosophy meet. We’ve won awards and garnered praise from personalities like Cara Santa Maria, Penn Jillette, Richard Dawkins, Michael Shermer, Mayim Bialik, Sarah Silverman and Seth McFarlane.
This campaign gives you the opportunity to preorder our next (and 6th) children’s book title, which Cara Santa Maria has already called “a playful, thought-provoking tale on respecting our planet and our small, yet special, place within it.”
But before we take a closer look at that, allow us to introduce our series’ characters. Annabelle is curious. Which makes Aiden (hilariously!) furious. But together, with the help of their animal friends (from Tardigrade Tom to everyone’s favorite dinosaur the Skeptisaurus), they discover the wonders of the universe as they try to answer questions often thought to be ‘too big’ for children. (After our first book on evolution was banned, we knew we were doing something right.) So far, we’ve released 5 best-selling, award winning titles on evolution, the big bang, and other ‘Big Questions for little thinkers.
This playful, thought-provoking tale explores the history of life’s evolution through Earth’s mass extinctions. In this book, you’ll swim in the Earth’s first oceans with early microbes learning to absorb oxygen, climb onto land with the Tiktaalik to find more space, and climb underground just in time to escape the dinosaurs’ fiery fate. Each cycle, a lucky animal survives because of a random mutation that makes the newly-changed world look like it was made just for him. Readers will laugh as each sole survivor foolishly boasts how “This world was made for me!” More importantly, readers will gain a deep appreciation of our small yet special place in a larger web of life, and a respect for the fragile blue planet we call home.
The book contains an inspiring message of humility and respect for our planet that we think the world could use a little bit of right now. Readers will learn to appreciate our world as something we get to be part of.
This hardcover book will be in the same (extremely) high quality as our previous titles, with thick paper and vivid color that pops and jumps off the page.
The text of the book has been written and edited, revised, then re-edited more times than we’ve had a mass extinction, and the result is extraordinary. Illustrations are in progress right now, but to finish paying for them, (and a print-run of 1,000 books) we’re giving you the opportunity to pre-order discounted copies right now, by selecting any of our rewards on this page.
Wanna see more? You can check out 12 of our past illustrations by scrolling towards the bottom of this page. Have fun. But don’t forget about us here!
“A beautiful, whimsical, and deeply important book for kids of all ages!” – Cara Santa Maria, host of Talk Nerdy Podcast, co-author of The Skeptic’s Guide To The Universe
“A great book. Very smart. And kind.” – Penn Jillette, author of God, No!, comedian, magician of Penn & Teller
“Does an exemplary job of explaining the origins of life as we know it to very young minds. Heck, it could probably even teach a thing or two to their folks.” – Bill Nye Film
“What a stunning & refreshing set of books! The exact words & tone to reach into a child’s heart and brain and bring out such bliss & beauty. A wonderful addition to our family library!” – Mayim Bialik, PhD, actress, author, and neuroscientist.
“Beautifully illustrated books for children that opens their minds and hearts to the wonders of science. Any child who reads it will find themselves mesmerized, enlightened, and smiling.” – Chip Walter, National Geographic Fellow and author of Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived
“The most deeply moving account I’ve ever come across on the ultimate question of life, death, and meaning. In only 200 words this beautiful story captures what 2000 years of wisdom writing could not. Read it. Then read it again. And then get back to living your life in a way that matters because now you know how.” — Michael Shermer, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Believing Brain, monthly columnist at Scientific American
“Gorgeous and amazing!” – Dale McGowan, author of Parenting Beyond Belief.
“Tackles big ideas in a way that young children can understand.” – Emily Cook, founder of Build Your Library Homeschooling Curriculum
“I wish I had these years ago for my daughter. I wonder if she’ll still get on my lap so I can read them to her now that she’s 20.” – Bob Novella, author of Skeptics’ Guide To The Universe
The illustrations are amazing and thought-provoking, and the writing inspires a joy and determination to discover the truth over convenient stories. Please help support science advocacy for children if you are able! It’s needed now more than ever.” –Modern Science Mama
An artistic medium to empower children to ask questions, seek answers, and strive to understand complex ideas throughout life. This is the kind of education that we need in our homes and schools!” -TheHumanist.com, Emily Newman, Education Coordinator at the American Humanist Association’s Center for Education
Just nails it! Using a perfect balance of well-thought rhymes and elaborately educational illustrations to simplify complex biology into terms that even I can keep up with, I am convinced that future generations will find themselves wiser – thanks to one seemingly ‘little’ book.” – Horus Gilgamesh, bestselling author of ‘Awkward Moments Children’s Bible’ series.
However, there are some people out there that want us NOT to succeed, which is another reason we really do need your support! Check this out:
But the most important response we can have is to keep going, and keep growing, and that is why we need all the support we can get!
It’s not just the experts that love our books. Everyone adores our books. That’s why we keep making them. We’ve gotten literally hundreds of rave reviews from parents, teachers, and homeschoolers (collectively) on all 5 of our Amazon listings. Check them out. And we love our readers as much as they love us! (Grab the reward for a school visit – we love meeting our readers!)
Help us reach those above goals, and everybody gets more rewards! The most important thing you could do for us is share this campaign on social media. At the coffee shop. Email a few contacts who may be interested. Please help us spread the word!
THANKS FOR BEING HERE. This project is my labor of love. I’m the author, founder, publisher, mailer, PR guy, and everything else. Every comment here, every dollar is deeply, deeply appreciated and counted. (Seriously.) And if you’re unable to pledge, please share the news. I love you for it. And I think the planet will too. Love, J.R.
We understand there are risks and challenges inherent in any Kickstarter campaign, but are confident we will overcome them even more that we did with our first three books. (Yup, we’ve done this show before (5 times, actually) and never missed a goal or deadline).
All proceeds will go towards these expenses:
-Illustration, Cover Design: approximately $1,500
-Printing: About $5,000 for a print run of 1,000 copies
-Shipping: About $3 per copy
-Initial, basic business affairs, copyright, graphic art, etc: $300-$400
-(Possible) Promotion: $300-$500
Where are we now? The text and page layout of the book has been completed for quite some time. The illustrator is currently working on the illustrations, and she has already completed about 30% of them. She should be finished the whole book in April of 2020, at which point the book will go to production.