Our guest writer is Kai Schmittat, a husband and father to his family and the co-founder of the children’s media company called Crayon Crunch.

A Father’s Gift To His Son

Ever since Kai had his son Levi, while pursuing a business degree at UC Berkeley, he wanted to create something that his son could cherish while he was not physically with him. Juggling school, work, and raising a family, he knew his time with his son was limited. He wanted to give his son something of value beyond a physical item. He wanted it to carry a message that would guide his son. The opportunity came quite literally when Tim Osterbuhr and Friederike Geiken came up with the idea to create a personalized children’s book with more customization than any previous children’s book.

Kai and Tim met at UC Berkeley and had always wanted to work together on a project. Tim and Friederike’s passion for children and Kai’s desire to pass on values to his son, made for the perfect team to create a printed children’s book. Kai knew that caring for others, respect, and the value of believing in yourself could not be taught through a mobile app.

As the three talked to more parents they came to recognize enormous under representation of ethnicities and special needs in children’s books. What started as a project to bring more customization to books became a mission to allow every child to go on a fictional adventure and Crayon Crunch was born.

“As a parent I can only imaging how much other parents want to give the best to their kids. It wasn’t only about Levi anymore. I want to give hope and a sense of pride to each child no matter who they were or what unique circumstance they have. All children should see themselves as a hero in their own story.”

About Crayon Crunch

The printed picture book is filled with beautiful illustrations and allows readers to

fully customize the lead character’s appearance. Including the name, facial features, eye color, hair color & style, skin tone and clothing. They even allow readers to add special needs such as glasses, wheelchair, prosthetics, and more.

The story is about your child who finds a magical box in the attic with a keyhole in the shape of the first letter of his/her name. Because the key is nowhere in sight, your child goes on an adventure where he or she meets many interesting characters that help him/her find the key. When your child finally unlocks the box there is a surprise for your child. Inside the box is a personal letter from a parent, family member, or friend who purchased the book.

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