Blast Off to the Solar System

The moment the lamp clicks off, your child’s bed rockets into space for a tour of all eight planets — searching for the one that beats their own cosy bed.

Here's one we made for Noah

Cover: Noah sitting up in his wooden bed as it sails through deep space inside a bubble of air, Captain Hop tucked under one arm and the eight planets arcing below.

Noah's bedroom: dusky-blue walls, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, a wooden bedside table, a patterned rug on the floor, and a window on the right. — Noah snapped his big space book shut. Eight planets! Eight whole worlds twinkling out there.
"Captain Hop," he whispered, hugging his bunny tight, "which one would be just right for us?"
He clicked off the lamp and burrowed deep into his pillow. But the moment his eyes closed…

The same view of Noah's bedroom: dusky-blue walls, glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, a wooden bedside table, a patterned rug on the floor, and a window on the right. — **RUMBLE. RUMBLE. RUMBLE.**
Noah's eyes flew open. His bed frame was rattling. Bright orange flames blasted from the wooden legs!
With a magical pop, a cozy, invisible bubble of air wrapped right around the mattress, and the bed lifted off the floor.
"Three… two… one… BLAST OFF!"

Deep space scattered with silver stars. — Up, up, UP flew the bed, towards the twinkling Moon.
"Look, Captain Hop! Which world should we visit first? Let's start right next to the Sun!"
Captain Hop's floppy ear twitched with excitement.
Away they zoomed!

The story

Bedtime, and your child has just closed a big book about space, wondering which of the eight planets would suit them and their toy best. The lamp clicks off, the bed frame rattles, rocket flames burst from its wooden legs, and a bubble of air wraps around the mattress as the bed lifts off into the night. What follows is a tour of the whole solar system, one planet at a time: Mercury baking on one side and freezing on the other, Venus hot enough to melt a spoon, the rovers waving from Mars, Jupiter with nowhere to land, Saturn’s glittering rings, Uranus rolling on its side, Neptune windswept at the edge. None of them feel right. Then a tiny blue light winks from the dark, and the bed drifts gently home to the best spot in the whole solar system.

How your child gets into the book

You upload one photo, and the child flying the bed past Saturn on every page is drawn to look like them. Their name is in the text throughout, from the title on the cover to the last line. The toy comes along too: you tell us its name and what it is, and it rides on the bed for the whole trip. Swap the toy for a brother, a sister or the family dog and the story adjusts around them.

Building the book takes about three minutes, and you see the illustrated pages before deciding whether to order. The pages above are that preview, for the boy on the cover.

The book

16 pages, 21 cm square, in paperback or hardcover
170gsm silk paper with a matte-laminated cover
Written for children aged 2 to 12
Printed in Australia and posted within Australia, free shipping on orders over $75
Most orders arrive within about two weeks
30-day returns if the finished book is not what you hoped for
The photo you upload is deleted once your child's character is drawn

Questions parents ask

Do I need a photo of my child?

No. A photo gives the closest likeness, but you can describe your child instead and we will draw them from that.

Can the companion be a sibling or a pet instead of a toy?

Yes. The story is written around a companion on the bed, and it carries a brother, sister, dog or cat through all 16 pages just as well as a toy bunny.

Are the planet facts accurate?

Yes. Every planet is described the way it really is, at a level a young child can follow. Nothing is invented for the sake of the plot except the flying bed.