Which One I Want? Our Book
I can finally say it. Which One I Want? has officially reached its Kickstarter goal last night
I cannot thank everyone enough who has backed our book, shared the Kickstarter, sent it to friends and family, or simply cheered Ryder Bird on. We have been working on this idea for such a long time, and seeing it become a real book and knowing that it is actually going to be made is pretty surreal.
And if you still want a copy, our Kickstarter is still open 25 more days! Now that we have reached our funding goal, you can order your copy through the campaign and know that this book is officially happening.
So, What Is Which One I Want?
Which One I Want? is a choose your own adventure board book starring Ryder Bird.
But instead of choosing where the story goes, little readers help Ryder decide what she wants to wear. A dress or a jumpsuit? Cowboy boots or flats? A cowboy hat or a beret?
Kids use color coded tabs to make their choices and follow Ryder through the book. It was created especially for toddlers and young children and is all about making choices, fashion, creativity and having fun with what you wear.
How We Made the Book
One of my favorite things about Which One I Want? is how we actually made it because almost everything you see was physically created by hand.
There are no traditional illustrations or digital animation. Ben's sister Chelsea Bayouth created a handcrafted practical puppet of Ryder Bird and then built her entire tiny world around her.
Her clothes, accessories, closet, props and miniature sets were all physically made , styled and photographed to create the pages of the book. Ben, Chelsea, Ryder and I all had a hand in bringing this tiny world to life, and so much time went into every little detail.
And we didn't stop there.
Before this was ever a finished book, Ben physically made the prototype at home. Ben printed and cut out every single page and cut every single tab himself by hand. He carefully put the entire book together so we could actually hold it, flip through it and figure out how all of the choices and color coded tabs would work for little hands.
There is something really special about having an idea in your head and then literally building it with your own hands. That first prototype was completely handmade, and now the fact that it is becoming a real board book that other families will be able to hold in their hands is pretty amazing.
This really has been a family project from the very beginning.
Why This Book Means So Much More to Us
If you've followed our family, you already know that the last few years of Ryder's life have looked very different from what we ever imagined.
Ryder was diagnosed with a brain tumor just before her 4th birthday. Our lives suddenly became doctors, MRIs, treatments, chemotherapy and learning an entirely new language that no parent ever expects to learn.
After chemotherapy became something Ryder could no longer tolerate and her tumor continued to grow, she was eventually able to move onto targeted therapy. Her tumor responded dramatically.
This summer, Ryder rang the bell at Children's Hospital Los Angeles after completing treatment. 2 years on these targeted drugs.
Through everything, she has remained Ryder.
She loves clothes. She loves getting dressed. She loves making choices about what she wears. She loves creating things. Fashion and creativity have continued to be such a huge part of who she is, even during some of the hardest moments of her life.
That is a huge part of where this book came from.
Which One I Want? is fun and colorful and silly and full of fashion, but for our family, there is a much bigger story behind it.
Giving Back to Children's Hospital Los Angeles
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, which makes launching this project this month even more meaningful to our family.
We wanted Which One I Want? to do more than become a book.
10% of the net profits from our Kickstarter campaign will benefit Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
CHLA has been such an enormous part of Ryder's story, and supporting the work being done for children with brain tumors is incredibly personal to us. CHLA helped our daughters vision, we are forever grateful.
Research and access to new treatments aren't abstract ideas to our family. We have watched our own daughter benefit from advancements in pediatric cancer treatment. We know firsthand why continuing this work matters.
Ryder may have finished treatment, but our journey doesn't simply end here. There will continue to be MRIs and monitoring throughout her life.
But right now, we get to celebrate something really happy.
Our little girl made a book.
Our family built it together.
Our Kickstarter reached its goal.
And now it is really happening.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Ryder Bird, our family, this book and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.
We seriously cannot wait for you to hold Which One I Want? in your hands.
xoxoxoxox
AMY
