Personalized keepsake books

A bear on duty, until they're home.

Picture books for kids whose grown-ups serve. Your child's name in the story, your family's photos on the page, your grown-up on the cover stamp, and a voice square on every page so they can hear you read, even from far away.

Make their book Hear a voice square
Every branch, every family Approve a full preview first Never asks for unit, location or dates
The personalized book Until You're Home, made for a child named Ava, lying on a patchwork quilt beside a paper chain, crayons and a small teddy bear in a green scarf.
Ava's copy, first edition
Sample cover stamp showing a portrait of a smiling dad.sample stamp
The books

One small bear. Every big change.

Each story stars your child by name, with Duffle the bear keeping watch on every page. The scenes are the same for every family. The words, the photos, the portrait and the voices are yours.

Cover of Until You're Home: Duffle the bear on a porch step at dusk with the porch light on.
Now in first edition

Until You're Home

For the months apart. A paper-chain countdown, the same moon, and a bear on duty.

From $34 · softcover or hardcover
Cover of Our New Front Door: Duffle sitting on moving boxes in front of a blue door.
Coming soon

Our New Front Door

For moving day, new schools and finding the same moon over a new roof.
Cover of The Day You Came Home: Duffle holding a paper welcome banner in a sunny yard.
Coming soon

The Day You Came Home

For the homecoming hug, and the cozy, wobbly weeks after.
Cover of Hello, Little One: Duffle keeping watch beside a crib at night.
Coming soon

Hello, Little One

A love letter for a baby born while a parent was far away.

Have a story we should tell?

Grandparents far away, a parent who's retiring, a first day at a new school. Tell us, and we'll write the next one.
How it works

Made for one family at a time.

No templates with a name pasted on top. Every book is set, checked and finished for your child before it's printed.

  1. Tell us about your crew

    Your child's name, what they call you, who's at home with them, and the goodbye phrase only your family says. About two minutes.

  2. Pick your portrait stamp

    Send a favorite photo of the grown-up who's away. We set it in the postage stamp on the cover, or Percy sketches it by hand in colored pencil.

  3. Record your voice

    Read the pages aloud on your phone, before you leave or from wherever you are. Each page gets its own voice square.

  4. Approve, then we print

    You see every page before anything prints. Change a word, swap a photo, then approve it and we print it on demand.

Close-up of a sample cover stamp portrait of a smiling dad with a short beard.
The cover portrait

Your grown-up on the cover, three ways.

The postage stamp on every cover holds the grown-up who is away. It's the first thing your child sees, so you choose how it's made:

  • Photo stamp, included: your photo with a warm, soft finish.
  • Hand-sketched stamp, +$29: Percy sketches it in colored pencil, sized for the stamp.
  • Heirloom portrait, +$129: a full, detailed colored-pencil portrait on the cover, and the signed original mailed to you. Limited spots each month.
Voice squares

Their favorite voice, on every page.

Each story page has a small square. Point a phone camera at it and your child hears you read that exact page, in your voice, on nights when there's no call.

0:00 / 0:18

Sample recording, read by a narrator. Your book plays your own recordings.

  • Private links for your family. Never posted, never public.
  • Safe to share by design: we never ask for unit, location or dates.
  • Re-record a page any time, even after the book arrives.
The book open to a page that reads 'The night before, Daddy packed a big green duffle,' with a small voice square in the corner and an illustration of the bear peeking out of a green duffle bag.
Inside Until You're Home

Quiet pages for loud feelings.

Twelve illustrated scenes, a dedication in your words, a page for your photos, a drawing page, and a sleeps-until-home chart to color in.

Duffle peeking out of a packed green duffle bag at night.
The night before
Duffle tangled in a long colorful paper chain.
One loop for every sleep
Duffle on a window sill looking at a full moon.
The same moon
Duffle with a small red umbrella at the door of a blanket fort on a rainy day.
Rainy-on-the-inside days
Duffle putting a sticker on an airmail envelope surrounded by crayon drawings.
Sent with a sticker
Duffle on a porch step at dusk beside a duffle bag, porch light glowing.
Porch light on
A sketchbook page showing Duffle the bear in five poses: sitting, side view, back view, on tiptoe and asleep.
Our story

Made by a military family, for military families.

We know the paper chains taped across the living room, the video calls that freeze on a funny face, and the porch light left on just in case. We couldn't find a book that felt like ours, so we made one.

Duffle started in a sketchbook as a bear with a patched elbow and a job to do: keep watch over the kids until their grown-ups come home. Every book is written, set and checked by hand, and every hand-sketched portrait is drawn by Percy himself.

With love, the Duffle & Crayons family

Meet the artist

Every portrait starts with a pencil and a real hand.

Hi, I'm Percy. When you choose a hand-sketched stamp or an heirloom portrait, I draw it myself, from the photo you send, one family at a time.

I draw wherever I can find a few quiet minutes, on sketch paper, in notebooks, sometimes on the side of a cardboard box. That habit is where this whole shop came from: a drawing made by hand means someone took the time.

Percy, founder & artist

Percy holding a piece of cardboard with a detailed ballpoint pen drawing of a hand holding a pen.
Ballpoint on a cardboard box
Percy's pencil self-portrait, hand resting on his chin, over a yellow, red and green background.
Self-portrait
Graphite portrait of a young man in a knit beanie.
Graphite, from a friend's photo
Questions

Good to know.

Does it work for every branch?

Yes. Our books are branch-neutral on purpose, so they fit Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, Coast Guard, Guard and Reserve families. They also work for long training stretches and other times apart.

Do you use military logos or insignia?

No. Our stories and art are original, and we don't use official seals, logos or insignia. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense or any branch.

What information do you need, and what don't you?

We only need first names, what your child calls you, an optional dedication and optional photos and recordings. We never ask for unit, rank, location or deployment dates, and we don't print them.

Will I see the book before it prints?

Always. You get a full page-by-page preview to approve. Nothing prints until you say it's right.

How do voice squares work?

After you order, you get a private recording link. Open it on your phone and read each page aloud, one page at a time if you like. Each square in the book plays its matching page, and you can re-record or delete any page later, even after the book is printed. Your recordings stay private to your family, and we delete them whenever you ask.

How is the art made?

Duffle and the story scenes are digitally painted with AI-assisted tools, then selected, corrected and finished by our team. Hand-sketched and heirloom portraits are drawn by hand by Percy. The photo stamp is your own photo with a warm color finish, with no drawing involved. We tell you this up front because you deserve to know what's in your keepsake.

How long does it take?

Your book goes to print as soon as you approve your preview. We'll show the estimated delivery date for your address before you pay.

What do I get with the heirloom portrait?

Percy draws a full, detailed colored-pencil portrait from your photo. It goes on the cover stamp, and the signed original drawing is mailed to you separately, ready to frame. There are only a few spots each month so every one gets real time. We confirm timing with you when you order.

What about my photos?

Photos are used only to make your book and your portrait. We don't share them, sell them or use them in marketing without your written permission.

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