A multi-award winning, unique and exquisitely illustrated medieval-style childrens adventure story, that shows us the power of creative problem solving in times of despair

Jerome's Gift Hardcover Book (+ FREE Audiobook)

$30.00 AUD
$30.00 AUD
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"Over mountain and valley and stream he must go. Across perilous sea, to a place where they know of a kindly old uncle who might lend some aid. The council agreed that a plan must be made. This most dangerous duty was all up to him. To provide precious food for his withering kin..."

Hard cover, stitch binding, gold embossing, low gloss durable paper, special colour in end-sheets, custom fold out poster size dust jacket, and 48 beautifully illustrated pages.

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Discover what lies within the pages...

THE REVIEWS

what others are saying...

  • Nostalgic – wholesome, edifying

    "A few words that spring to mind straight away: Nostalgic – wholesome, edifying. I love the character overcoming adversity, finding his solutions in the darkest times. It’s refreshing for a protagonist to solve problems with his own wits and not magic!"

    Rachel

  • My kids love this book, love it!

    "A sweet, original story with beautiful, uncliched rhymes and rich vocabulary. My kids love this book, love it!"

    Jennifer

  • A universal, timeless feel

    "Definitely appreciated the energetic and sweeping quality of your illustrations. Also enjoyed the connection between the ending and the beginning which gave the story a sort of universal, timeless feel"

    Nick

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Learn More About Jerome's Gift

About The Artist

My name is Trent Denham, and I've been drawing pictures and spinning tales of adventure my whole life! 

Traditionally trained in painting and sculpture, I've been working in the 3D animation industry for more than 10yrs now as a: Concept Artist; Storyboarder; 3D Sculptor and Painter; and Art Director; and more recently I have been moving into Illustration. 

I've spent a lot of time working with story and pictures, and learning the craft of matching the two together, and for the first time here, I have embarked on a passion project of my own, that I think is worth sharing.

About The Project

Jerome's Gift has been a personal 'passion project' of mine over the last 5 years! It has been a real labour of love and it is with great excitement that I get this opportunity to share it with you =) 
The story of Jerome is a multi layered fable that draws on the rich symbolism of the Middle Ages, influenced all of my very favourite stories, writers, and artists. If you love quality art, and meaningful storytelling; if you are passionate about books and want to be rewarded with successive readings; if you enjoy falling into imaginary worlds and staring at pictures to always find something new; if you barrack for the little guy and want to see him succeed; or if you just love dragons, monsters, and boats; well this is the book for you.
It does have it's darker moments - in ways, I guess, it is a reflection of some of my own experiences... see, when I first decided to start this project I was feeling pretty down. My industry was going through a big downturn, and a lot of people were loosing their jobs (me and my friends included!). Whole companies were collapsing, and I mean, as an artist- your job opportunities are already pretty limited right!?
Anyway, things were a bit grim. It was hard to find a way forward. I felt pretty undervalued. But my friends and family were good. I thought a lot about the nature of gift giving, and I reflected on my own natural gifts.I started drawing again- I mean really draw, like I was learning from scratch- not for work, or anyone else, but for the joy of it. I was starting to realise the true nature of gifts, and I felt that there was a story in that to tell.
Jerome's Gift is not about me, but it is about some of those feelings, and there is an honesty about it. I think it is important for young people (especially), to understand that- in times of despair, sometimes you forget that you can do it! This is a story about overcoming that despair, of rejoicing in creative solutions, of finding inspiration in your surroundings (whatever they may be), and ultimately understanding that every problem carries its own solution.
Thanks to the generous support of my fans, we were able to fully fund our Kickstarter campaign in under 6 days! reaching 130% of our goal in the end =)
The book is available right now! Come join us on Jerome's adventure...

FAQ's

Q. What is Jeromes Gift?

A. Firstly, it is a book! It is an illustrated picture book to be precise. But if you are referring to Jerome, and exactly what his gift consists of, well, you'll just have to read the book wont you! ;)

Q. What genre of book?
A. I'd call it an Adventure Book, in the Medieval Fantasy style.
By definition, it is a children's picture book.

Q. Who would like to read this book? What ages?
A. It is a book for all ages, but especially children from about 8yrs to 11yrs old, depending on their literacy level. Basically anyone who likes quality art, and meaningful storytelling will like it.

Q. What is it about?
A. Jerome's Gift is a unique and exquisitely illustrated adventure story that shows us the power of creative problem solving in times of despair. A feast of quality artwork and storytelling, this is a work of beauty, profound detail, and elegant subtlety that will reward you with every successive reading.

Q. What are the book's specs?
A. Hard cover, stitch binding, gold embossing, low gloss durable paper, special colour in end-sheets, custom fold out poster size dust jacket, and 48 beautifully illustrated pages.

Q. Will there be an E-book?
A. For the moment, no. maybe sometime in the future, but the focus here is on a gourmet, tactile, hands-on book experience =)

Q. Will there be an Audio Book?
A. Yup =) and it sounds great- it even has a backing soundtrack!

Q. How much for just the book?
A. At the moment we are only offering a Book+Audio Book bundle for $30 AUD plus postage (depending on where you live).
This is so you can experience the story the way it is meant to be heard (ie. spoken aloud like an old fire-side folk tale). We understand that not everyone is a professional voice actor, so we've gone and found one ourselves =) and it sounds GREAT!

Q. Can I buy multiple copies of the book?
A. If you are a store interested in stocking our product, please contact us at jeromesgift@gmail with your ABN and company details, and we can let you now more about out wholesale terms.

Q. Do you ship internationally?
A. Yes! Apologies to our overseas fans who will incur a larger shipping fee, it is totally out of our control in this part of the world unfortunately - it is with this in mind that we are offering such a quality product for the lowest price possible. 

Be assured that we will post it to you as safely and cost effectively as we can, and that the book is definitely, DEFINITELY, worth it =)

Q. When will it arrive?
A. Orders usually ship within 4 days of purchase, and will arrive in most Australian locations within 2-3 days. Shipping details will usually be sent to your email address.

Q. Who is Condotta Press?
A. Condotta Press is the Artists own label, created specifically for this book and showcasing the highest possible standards of print production. Upon launch in Oct 2017 the book sold over 250 copies in less than six days in a story of indie self-publishing success that continues to this day. The creator hopes to find it a home with an international publisher.

Gallery

Reviews

 

"A few words that spring to mind straight away: Nostalgic – wholesome, edifying.  

I love the character overcoming adversity, finding his solutions in the darkest times. It’s refreshing for a protagonist to solve problems with his own wits and not magic! The story is satisfying and I enjoy the spaces where the reader is allowed time to think.   The end works really well – leaving the reader to come to the conclusion." 

- Rachel.  

"This is really wonderful. I love it! A sweet, original story with beautiful, uncliched rhymes and rich vocabulary." 

- Jennifer . 

"I liked that it rhymed, I also liked the repetition of the lines, I liked the adventure" 

- Holly, 7. 

"very well written... Liam and I have read it quite a few times... We read it through several times and he was intrigued as it is something completely different to what he normally reads." 

- Nick (Liam, 7).

"Definitely appreciated the energetic and sweeping quality of your illustrations. Also enjoyed the connection between the ending and the beginning which gave the story a sort of universal, timeless feel"

- Nick, Editorial Assistant 

"I loved the artwork – it looks just like something I would’ve loved as a kid, and think that it’s utterly charming. I thought the rhyming prose was full of character. There’s just no question in it for me. The rhyme adds whimsy and joy to the illustrations. The repetition of the plot is also aided by the lyrical quality of the rhyme, making it feel like an adventure" 

- Allen and Unwin.  

"Patrick read the story fluently, and quite liked the rhyming verse." 

- Michael (Patrick, 8).

"It is a heart-warming, mysterious adventure story. It is very descriptive and is a great book for kids who want to discover new worlds. All up I think Jerome's Gift is an amazing book" 

- Bonnie, 10.  

"I thought this book was funny, quirky and descriptive...I would recommend this book for 9-11, as I found it deeply entertaining/interesting!" 
- Niamh, 11. 

"It was exciting and great. There was some happiness and sadness. It is a great story. 100% great" 

- Jamie, yr4 

"Jeromes Gift is a great story for all ages because it has a lot of ideas in it. I would rate this book 5 stars. Thank you for writing this wonderful book!" 

- Nick, yr4 

"Aiden enjoyed the story and was able to read and comprehend it without any adult assistance." 

Karen (Aiden, 8) 

"I enjoyed reading Jerome's Gift and loved the way the writing flowed... She loved the story." 

- Kim (Isla, 7) 

"My kids love the book! Love it!" 

- Russell.    

Get In Touch

We'd love to hear from you!

Find us on

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/jeromesgift/

and Instagram, @jeromesgift 

If you have pictures to share, stories to tell, or if you just want to tell us what you think of the book, you can do so by using #jeromesgift, or send us an email at the address below.

Trent is available for Artist talks, art classes, book readings, and school visits =)

If you'd like to stock the book, we can also arrange wholesale pricing and delivery.

jeromesgift@gmail.com