The Baby Files: a baby record book for every kind of family. Plus a FREE holiday printable!

I have another exciting book project to share with you today! First I’ll tell you about the book, and then I’ve got a link to a FREE printable sheet of holiday gift tags illustrated by moi, for all of your holiday gift-giving needs!

For the last year or so I’ve been working on a great new book called The Baby Files, which is the creation of my fabulous client Alisa Yingling and her company UK Yankee. The Baby Files is a baby record book with a difference — instead of being geared only towards traditional moms and dads, this book is written in such a way as to make it equally appropriate for same-sex parents and adoptive parents, as well as parents of any race, age, or religious background.

The cover of the book! Photo courtesy of Alisa Yingling

What’s the story?

The story behind the book started when Alisa’s brother and his husband adopted a baby, and she couldn’t find baby record book anywhere that was inclusive of their kind of family. (You can read more about her inspiration on her website, here!) I think it’s a wonderful idea, because as we all know there are so many types of families in the world and they should all have a beautiful baby book to record the exciting milestones and show off the wonderful photos of their children. Another interesting aspect to the story behind the book is that Alisa, just like me, is originally from Illinois but now lives in the UK! She found me through the internet, but when we discovered our similar backgrounds it seemed like fate brought us together.

What’s the book like?

The book is expertly written by Alisa with language that is inclusive of all kinds of families and backgrounds, and is designed and illustrated by me. It was such a fun project to work on because every layout is colorful and unique, with various areas for writing down milestones, attaching photos, and recording important details of your baby’s first year. There’s even a family tree where you can include photos of everyone important in your baby’s life, and envelopes for a snippet from baby’s first haircut and other keepsakes. My illustrations of animals are spread throughout the book, which adds to the universality since by not showing any people we are also not showing any genders, ages, or races. I am personally so excited to have my very own copy in which I’m recording everything about our little Emmett! Here’s a look at a few sample spreads:

Where can I get one?

There are two versions of the book, one for a UK audience and one for the US (the difference is in the spelling/wording and a few cultural references). The UK edition just launched, and is available for sale on Amazon UK here! The US edition will be coming out in early 2017, so check back and I will announce when it’s available. You can visit the UK Yankee website here to learn more about the book and Alisa.

What about these printable gift tags??

Over at the UK Yankee blog, Alisa has put together an online advent calendar of goodies for every day leading up to Christmas, and today I’m the special guest! I have designed and illustrated a sheet of printable holiday gift tags, which you can download and print on a color printer, and use for all of your holiday gifts. The post is here, and below is a preview of what the gift tags look like (but it’s best not to print from this image — the file you can download at Alisa’s blog is much higher quality and will print much better!). All we ask is that you use the gift tags for personal use only.

So that’s the scoop on this exciting new project! If you know anyone having a baby soon, this book would be perfect for them because it’s perfect for everyone! It would even make a great holiday present for someone who recently had a baby. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season, and a happy new year!!

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1 Response

  1. Judi says:

    Anni, I printed the gift tags from Alisa’s blog. They are beautiful! My favorite is the walrus . I love your illustrations in The Baby Files & I can’t wait for the book to be available stateside! Judi (Gram)

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