Most picture books show children one version of the world. Ours show the world as it actually is, wonderfully diverse, and completely ordinary about it.
Our first book, Ren Wants to be Alone, follows a queer non-binary child in a big, loving polycule family. A picture book for ages 4 to 8, illustrated in hand-sewn textile collage.
Hardcover CHF 40.00 · Digital CHF 20.00
Published by Amsel Verlag Zürich · ISBN 978-3-906325-96-5 · Ages 4 to 8 · 14 illustrated pages · English · Ships from Switzerland
Supported by Stiftung Erna und Curt Burgauer and Kanton Zürich
Children have an amazing ability to accept what they see as normal. When we show them only one version of the world, that version quietly becomes "the normal", and everything else starts to feel unusual or wrong.
Our world isn’t like that. Gender exists on a spectrum. Families come together in all kinds of ways. Colors, clothes, hobbies and love don’t belong to any one type of person.
In Ren Wants to be Alone, nobody points any of this out. Ren is non-binary, their family has several parents and many siblings, and none of it is the plot. The story is about something every child knows: needing a bit of quiet, and missing everyone the moment you get it.
Ren Wants to be Alone is a picture book for children aged 4 to 8 featuring a non-binary main character and a polyamorous family.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before, and it looks so simple: a few pieces of fabric and a couple of stitches. And yet, at the same time, it becomes clear that it’s anything but simple. This work is unique, and so is the story behind it, which comes across as just as simple, yet is anything but. I wish I’d had this book for my children back then.”
Every illustration is a textile collage by artist Alina Kopytsia, photographed from the original fabric works. The digital edition contains the same 14 pages as the hardcover.
Ren lives in a big, loud, loving family, and needs some quiet.
So Ren does something brave: they ask to spend a few days alone, and their family says yes.
Being alone is wonderful, then boring, then lonely, and coming home is the best part.
The story never explains any of this. It’s simply there, the way it is in real life.
You don’t have to explain everything. Children usually understand more than we give them credit for. If questions come up, here are a few we’ve thought about:
If your child asks "Is this a boy or a girl?", you could try: "What do you think?", or "Does it matter for the story?", or "Some people are boys, some are girls, some are both, and some are neither."
You might look at how the characters dress, and notice together that clothes don’t follow any rules here. You might notice how the adults listen when Ren says what they need. And you might talk about how Ren changes their mind, and how that’s completely fine.
The book is an invitation to notice and talk together, and to let all the different ways of living feel completely ordinary.
Families come to this book from different places. Queer, polyamorous and other non-monogamous families finally see a home that looks a bit like theirs. Parents who want books about diverse families for preschoolers get a story where difference is background, not topic. Teachers, preschools and school libraries use it to make every kind of family visible. And gift buyers get a unique picture book with illustrations sewn from fabric.
Which format? The hardcover is the one to gift and to read aloud at bedtime, printed large so the textile art gets the space it deserves. The digital edition is instant: good for travel, for reading on a tablet, and for readers outside Switzerland who would rather skip international shipping.
Alina Kopytsia is a visual artist who has been working with textile collage for over a decade. Alina moved to Zürich from Ukraine in 2017 and holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts from Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). Her work explores themes of identity, gender, and self-expression.
Alp is an author, web designer, event facilitator and life coach. He began writing stories for his child. He founded «Unbiased Stories for Children,» a project focused on inclusive children’s literature, grounded in consent, diversity, and emotional intelligence. Alp also grows communities where diversity and inclusion are core values, and facilitates workshops about self growth and consent work.
Ren Wants to be Alone is the first book they have made together.
Ren Wants to be Alone is the first Unbiased Stories for Children. Whether more follow depends on this one: if Ren finds enough readers, we’ll make the next book.
Leave your email and we’ll write to you when a new book exists. That’s the only reason we’ll ever email you.
Thank you.
CHF 40.00plus shipping
For now we only ship the hardcover within Switzerland and Liechtenstein. For other countries, or for more than 5 copies, please contact us.
The book is written for children aged 4 to 8. The sentences are short and the story is easy to follow when read aloud to younger children, while the themes of boundaries and alone time give older children plenty to talk about. Many adults buy it for the textile art alone.
For a young child, it can be as simple as: some people are boys, some are girls, some are both, and some are neither. Ren is called "they" instead of "he" or "she", and children tend to accept this without much fuss. The book never stops to explain it, which is exactly why it works.
A polycule is a family or network of people connected by loving, consensually non-monogamous relationships. In Ren’s case, it means several parents raising their children together under one roof. In the book it simply looks like what it is: a big, warm family where there is always someone to play with.
You could ask back "What do you think?" or "Does it matter for the story?". You could also say that some people are boys, some are girls, some are both, and some are neither. There is no wrong way to have this conversation, and the book is designed to let it happen naturally or not at all.
No. Nothing in the story announces a message, and no character explains diversity to another. The plot is about a child who needs quiet, asks for it, gets it, and then misses their family. Everything else simply sits in the background of Ren’s world.
Two: a large format hardcover and a digital edition. Both contain the same 14 textile collage pages.
It’s a PDF you download right after purchase. It works on tablets, computers and phones, it isn’t copy protected, and it’s yours to keep. It is sold and delivered by Payhip, who email you a link that keeps working, so a lost file is never a lost book. Your copy has your email address and the purchase date printed on each page.
Yes, for your own family’s use at home you’re welcome to print it. Since your copy carries your email address on every page, please keep printed copies within your household too. If you want copies for a school or organization, have a look at the bulk question below.
It depends on the edition. The hardcover has no VAT added, because this is not a VAT registered business, though EU orders may be charged import VAT and a carrier handling fee by the carrier on delivery. The digital edition is sold by Payhip, who add VAT at their checkout for buyers in the EU and the UK, and handle US state sales tax where it applies. Both editions are priced in Swiss francs. The digital edition is charged in Swiss francs; at the hardcover checkout you can choose to pay in your own currency instead, at Stripe’s rate, which includes their conversion fee, or stay in Swiss francs and let your own bank convert.
Not at the moment. For now the hardcover ships within Switzerland and Liechtenstein only, for CHF 5.00 untracked or CHF 7.50 tracked. If you are somewhere else, write to hello@unbiasedstories.com and we’ll see what we can arrange. The digital edition is available everywhere instantly, with no shipping at all.
Yes, and we’d love that. Use the contact form at the bottom of this page and we’ll sort out bulk pricing and an invoice. The book works well for classroom conversations about families, feelings and asking for what you need.
The book is currently available in English. We would love to translate it into other languages, and we will as soon as we raise enough funds for it. Until then, the best way to help is to spread the word about the book.