Does your family lore revolve around food? Travel? Pets? Historical events? Theme Books offer an opportunity to celebrate these interests and experiences, as well as the connections they form among family members.
Theme Books can be like Photo Books featuring a particular topic (or topics), or they can be collections of written stories, perhaps illustrated with relevant photographs and memorabilia.
Your experiences and your imagination are really what drive the content of these books, but here are some ideas to prompt your thinking:
- Holidays: A collection of stories and photos showing your family’s traditions for celebrating holidays, possibly including recipes, stories of the origins of the traditions, descriptions of how and why they’ve changed, comments from family members about their favorite aspects of different holidays, references to music and other customs.
- Travel: Perhaps your family has made a point of visiting National Parks, or setting foot in all 50 states, or simply set out on annual adventures together. A Theme Book focused on travel could tell the stories of your quest, what you accomplished, and what you learned together along the way.
- Collections: People collect all sorts of things. Did you collect beer cans in the ‘70s? Seashells? Depression glass? Dolls from foreign countries? Hummel figurines? Sports memorabilia? For some people, there’s a story that goes with every item; for others, they just like to look.
- Gardens: Many families garden together, or at least appreciate the efforts of the family members who do. A collection of photos and stories about an avid gardener’s annual creations could be a touching way to celebrate the beauty and the bounty and all the memories made in the process.
- Sports: For the family brimming with athletes, create a book featuring photos of each person’s experiences and achievements. Team photos, action shots, awards, and stories all help keep the memories alive.
Ink & Images can help you hone your ideas and put together a book or book series that reflects the interests and experiences of your unique family.