Higgy and friends in a snowy New York City Christmas

Social-emotional learning through story

A handmade heart can change Christmas

Join Higgy and his Homemade friends on a magical adventure to save the spirit of Christmas. Higgy and the Magic Pen: a Christmas adventure about magic and imagination.

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By Richard Gillespie, aka Big Papa

Who is Higgy?

An 8-foot-tall giraffe cookie ornament, and why children everywhere are falling in love with handmade Christmas traditions.

The Mission

Helping families create memories that last forever through creativity, kindness, baking, ornament making, and imagination, and helping every child become a confident reader, because reading is where everything else begins.

Why Handmade Matters

Every handmade ornament tells a story. Every family creates traditions. Every child has imagination waiting to shine.

Why reading, and why now

Reading is the skill every other subject depends on. Children who are not reading well by third grade are far more likely to fall behind in school and far less likely to graduate, and every year the gap grows harder to close.

Too many kids are behind, and they cannot wait. Stories children love, like Higgy, build the habit of reading while teaching kindness, confidence, and imagination. When a sponsor, a school, or a parent steps up, a child gets a book, and that child gets a better shot at everything that comes next.

Sponsor a classroom Become a Higgy Captain

A story for every season

The same beloved characters grow year over year, building skills with every new adventure.

Christmas 2026

Higgy and the Magic Pen

A Christmas adventure about magic and imagination, for all grades K–8. Also available in a 42-page Spanish edition.

Available now

Grand opening January 2027

The Driveway Basketball League

Pierce and Walker want to make their team, and Higgy shows them how.

Available now

Grand opening January 2027

The Great Easter Egg Caper

Higgy and 6-year-old Tate save Easter.

Available now

Meet the characters

Every grade level sees themselves in the story.

Higgy

The star of every story

An 8-foot-tall giraffe cookie ornament with a big heart and a bigger imagination.

Pierce

Represents 7th–8th graders

Learning to chase goals, handle pressure, and lead with confidence.

Walker

Represents 4th–5th graders

Building teamwork, resilience, and belief in himself.

Tate (age 6)

Represents K–1st graders

Discovering kindness, courage, and wonder, one adventure at a time.

Higgy's Homemade friends

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Secure checkout with PayPal. One price at every quantity. E-books are digital with no shipping; coloring books are plus $7.99 shipping per book.