Stop it all, we have found the cutest and most original gift for a child

Ah, finding an original gift for a child, whatever the age, is always a big hassle, especially when the child belongs to a loved one. We want to impress both the child and the parent. Find THE gift would actually be a real sport.

Lately, I was trying to impress my 2 year old daughter on her birthday. So yeah, she had that PAW Patrol tower that had been making her dream so much for months in her cousin’s room, but I also wanted to give her a little extra book, because it turns out she really enjoys reading (well, look at books and turn the pages). So here I am looking for something original, that is neither T’Choupi nor Little Brown Bear, in vain.

But that’s without taking into account the power of my Instagram feed, which, out of the 2,500 people I follow, decided that day to highlight the story of the right person: Sophie Astrabie. An author and mother of three girls, she had just published a post in which she announced that she had written a story for children, in collaboration with a designer behind a brilliant concept: April Bear.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sophie Astrabie (@sophiastrabie)

The concept ? A story whose protagonist is none other than… The comforter of the child. And guess what? The other thing my daughter loves the most is her comforter. Bingo. After sending photos of the duvet in question, indicating its name and some additional information, I placed an order. Two weeks later, I received the book which is as cute as it is quality. And the big plus: the clearly unique reaction of my daughter, who was amazed.

Meet the designer behind Ourson d’Avril, the one who puts stars in the eyes of the little ones (and parents too).

Interview with Gwladys Dahan, creator of the April Ourson books

To miss. Hello, who is behind Ourson d’Avril?

Gwladys Dahan. I am Gwladys Dahan, the creator of Ourson d’Avril. I’ve never tried to figure out what this W was doing in my name, but I love it! I’m 39, I’ve always added a year to myself, but this time I’ll stay with 39. I’m a big dreamer. I always wear glasses just to see even better every detail of the leaves on the trees. I love the sunlight at any time of the day. My first profession, which I left aside a bit, was that of interior designer and product designer. I live in my favorite city: Madrid! I have 2 kids who find it normal for their mother to draw quilts all day and I love the idea ! And every day I measure how lucky I am to have this beloved job that I created for myself: that of making children dream…

What is April Ourson’s concept?

Ourson d’Avril are ultra personalized children’s books whose hero is: your own cuddly toy! Each book is hand drawn from the duvet photo and is printed in France.

How was the story born?

Ourson d’avril was born with the desire to make a different gift for my first granddaughter.
I asked myself this question: what is the most precious thing (or almost) in a child’s life? His comforter was obvious. And then I like stories, I like fairy tales, I like dreaming, I like seeing the wonder in children’s eyes, I like drawing and I deeply loved my soft toy, so that was it! This is how the first book was born. This gift was a hit that exceeded all my expectations. Seeing the emotion in his eyes when he discovered her stuffed animal in a book was a magical moment! Then there was a second book, then a third… then yours?

How are books made?

I draw each duvet from a photo (yes, some photographers are better than others). I then bring the duvet into the customer’s chosen story. I currently offer 12 different stories, 11 that I wrote and a superb collaboration with Sophie Astrabie. Then, the books are printed individually and shaped by hand in an Imprim’Vert certified French printer that respects the environment.

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