Custom Memory Storybook

Crafted and Illustrated by Tracy Tayama Brady

What is a Memory Storybook?

A Memory Storybook is a collection of anecdotes, sayings, quirks, and preferences of a special person in your life captured in book format with original illustrations, real photos, and short text. It is meant to cherish and honor a special loved one, while encouraging those who participate to share and discover him/her within an expanding narrative.

A standard Memory Storybook is 11"x 13" landscape or 8" x 10" portrait and has 9 to11reader spreads (18 to 22 printed pages - single printed side).  There is an optional dedication on the first page (i.e. "To Grandpa Ty's Grandchildren") and an optional end message on the final page (i.e. "With love, Grandpa Ty's daughter"). One reader spread is dedicated entirely to family photographs to showcase the generations with minimal, if any, illustrations. Depending on the artistic design of the book, the amount of illustrations/photographs will vary from page to page.

Why have a Memory Storybook created?

Every family will have its own reason(s) for wanting to remember the life or capture the essence of someone special. For our family, the inspiration for the whole idea of a Memory Storybook was the birth of our first child after my dad’s passing - a joyful event after a very sad one. My bother had a second child soon after, as well, and knowing that our son and his cousin would not be able to know their Grandpa Ty inspired me to make the very first Memory Storybook. Initially, it was meant to be a simple project to capture my dad and offer a way for his grandkids to have him as part of their lives. However, in the process of talking to family members and uncovering boxes of old photographs we had never seen, I was able to sew together a much larger narrative of a man I had previously only known as my father. Ultimately, this book is not only a product for the younger generation, but it offered an amazing adventure for me as well. Now I can share these stories and look forward to many conversations about my dad with my son whenever he wants. And it absolutely warms my heart when he sees a photo of my dad and excitedly exclaims, "Gampa!" 

How to get a Memory Storybook made?

Please contact me to request a list of questions/instructions.  Please submit digital photos with short descriptions to help me craft the storybook and the memories you’d like to share. Since my goal is to best capture your special person, it is important to me to really know and understand him/her. I’ll contact you for follow-up and clarifying questions upon receipt of the above items and as needed throughout the drafting process.  

For photo submissions, please submit images that are high-resolution (at least 300 dpi) so that they will reproduce as beautifully as possible in the pages of the book. I will include some of the actual photos in the book layout and will use others as reference images for my original illustrations.

Grandpa Ty Memory Storybook