The Spark Within
from €37.90 incl. VAT + €6.90 shipping · free from 2 books
30 pages, 20 x 20 cm, your child drawn from your photo on every illustrated page.
Hardcover €47.90 · Softcover €37.90
Your child is the first hero, and up to 3 more: brother or sister, mum or dad, grandparent, another grown-up. €8.00 per extra hero
Personalise this book1 day: we create and check your book · 2–5 days: printing · 3–6 days: delivery
Every book is checked page by page before it's printed.
A superhero origin story where the power works only when you stay steady: confidence for the moments everyone is watching.
What's inside
- 30 pages, 4 of them colouring pages to fill in
- 20 × 20 cm hardcover (softcover too)
- Thick silk paper (170 g)
- A page for grown-ups: tips and questions to talk about
- Your child drawn from your photo on every illustrated page
What makes it different
- Drawn from your photo on every illustrated page, not a cartoon with a name pasted in
- In a Greek book, the name takes its right form in every sentence (του Γιώργου, τον Γιώργο)
- Every book is checked page by page before it's printed
Watch the title change here and on every book on the site. It stays in this browser tab only.
Helps with
Courage
Confidence: speaking up when everyone is watching, staying steady under pressure, and bouncing back after an embarrassing moment.
The tool your child practises in the story
Feet, breath, steady
Plant both feet flat on the floor. Take three slow breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, the breath out a little longer than the breath in. Put one hand on the chest and say quietly: "Not fast. Steady." Practise it together at calm moments first (before homework, at bedtime), so it is ready for a test, a match, a performance or a hard conversation.
For grown-ups
What this story is about
This story is about confidence, for children who freeze when all eyes are on them. Your child discovers a power that only works with calm and focus: rushing or showing off makes it fade. After an embarrassing moment in front of friends, your child uses a short steadying routine to guide six boats home through the fog, then teaches it to the classmate who laughed. The message: confidence is not about being loud. It is about staying steady.
Three ways to talk about it
- Share a time you felt nervous with everyone watching, and what helped. Children of this age are reassured to hear that adults freeze too.
- Praise effort and steadiness, not only results: "You kept going even when your voice wobbled."
- Talk about Max: people who show off are often nervous inside. It helps your child see that everyone has wobbly moments, even the loudest people in the room.
Three questions to ask
- Why did the Spark fizzle out behind the bike racks, and why did it grow on the harbour wall?
- When do your own hands tingle or your words slide away? What could help you in that moment?
- Max showed off when he was scared. Do you know anyone like that? How could you help them?
Practise the tool together: Feet, breath, steady
Plant both feet flat on the floor. Take three slow breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth, the breath out a little longer than the breath in. Put one hand on the chest and say quietly: "Not fast. Steady." Practise it together at calm moments first (before homework, at bedtime), so it is ready for a test, a match, a performance or a hard conversation.
If nerves stop your child from going to school, joining in or speaking at all, or bring panic, regular tummy aches or poor sleep for weeks, it is worth talking to your paediatrician or a child psychologist.
Look inside
Twelve illustrated spreads: the picture on the left, the story on the right. These sample pages show an invented child called Rafael.
That evening, Rafael hid in the garden shed to fix the old bike's slipping chain. It was fiddly work: one link at a time, slow breaths, no thinking about Friday at all. Then something odd happened. The fingertips holding the chain were glowing. Not a reflection. Not a torch. A soft, golden light, coming from inside the hands themselves. The spanner clattered to the floor. "WHOA!" The light snapped out like a blown candle. For a long time, the only thing moving in the shed was a thumping heart. Then, as the breathing slowed, a tiny gold glimmer came back.
On Monday, behind the bike racks, Max was telling everyone about his junior sailing medal. Again. "I've got something better than a medal." Out came both hands. "Watch this!" Too fast. Too eager to see everyone gasp. No feet, no breath, no steady. The palms gave one feeble flicker, a hiccup of gold, and then nothing at all. Max grinned. "Wow. A torch with no batteries." Everyone laughed, and the bell rang. That night, the cape stayed in the drawer. In the shed, the Spark worked every time. But maybe it only worked when nobody was watching. And somebody was always watching.
Spread 1 of 2
Inside the book
Twelve illustrated spreads: the picture on the left, the story on the right. This sample uses an invented family to show the illustration style.
Every Friday at Lindora Primary, one pupil read the school news in assembly, and this Friday it was Mia. At home, the words had been easy. Up on the stage, two hundred faces stared back, and the words slid off the page like butter off hot toast. What came out was a voice the size of a mouse. "Can't hear you!" called Max from the second row, cupping a hand to his ear. A few people laughed. Somehow the news got read. Somehow the walk back to the seat happened, with ears hot enough to make toast of their own. That afternoon came a decision: never, ever again.
Who can be a hero
Your child, and more heroes if you like
Your child is the first hero, and up to 3 more: brother or sister, mum or dad, grandparent, another grown-up.
Your child discovers a power that grows with calm and focus, and designs their own costume.
- Hardcover: €47.90
- Softcover: €37.90
+ €6.90 shipping · free from 2 books
Personalise this book
Styles
Soft 3D
AvailableRounded, softly lit 3D characters with big expressive eyes. Faces stay recognisable: hair, glasses, smile.
Storybook gouache
AvailableMatte, hand-painted colours with visible brush texture and soft edges, like a classic picture book.
Watercolour
AvailableLoose, soft washes of colour with fine ink lines and the texture of real paper.
Pencil and watercolour
AvailableColoured pencil over light watercolour washes, warm and drawn by hand.
Paper collage
AvailableLayers of cut and torn coloured paper, with grain and edges you can almost touch.
Clay
AvailableSculpted from soft modelling clay, like a handmade stop-motion film.
Vintage storybook
AvailableThe look of mid-century picture books: flat shapes, muted colours, a soft printed grain.
Fantasy painting
AvailableRich, painterly fantasy scenes full of glowing light.
Anime-inspired
AvailableClean line art, cel shading and large, expressive eyes.
Pop anime 3D
AvailableCel-shaded 3D with big sparkling eyes and bright, glowing colours.
Bold comic
AvailableThick ink lines, flat bright colours, halftone dots and dynamic angles.
Cute chibi
AvailableTiny bodies, big heads and soft pastel colours.
Formats and prices
Prices include VAT.
+ €6.90 shipping · free from 2 books