Acorn: A Tale of Becoming

Some of us spend a whole lifetime trying to grow into someone we were never meant to be.

An illustrated fable about becoming who you already are.

Just released

Hear the opening, read by the author

Carried by a great raven from the Beyond Place and planted in a meadow ringed by forest, a single acorn takes root among trees it longs to become. It strains toward the pines’ straight height, envies the birch its elegance, and aches to bear the apple tree’s sweet fruit — certain that anything is more worthy than what it already is.

But growing means weathering more than seasons. Through storm and scar, frost and long sleep, the seedling discovers that the shapes we force ourselves into are not the ones we are made for — and that the most valuable thing in all the world is to become, truly, oneself.

In the tradition of The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Prince, Acorn is an illustrated fable of self-discovery, acceptance, and expression: a story simple enough for a child to love, and deep enough to grow with the reader who returns to it for years.

Watch the Trailer

Bring Acorn Home

Signed, and wrapped up with a few gifts from the meadow

In Canada? Signed copies ship to you too ⟶ · Ordering from Europe? Kelly posts signed copies from the Netherlands ⟶ · Just want to listen? Get the audiobook ⟶

Free with any order

Becoming: a live workshop with Jacob

Order Acorn in any format, here or wherever you buy books, and join me on Saturday, November 14, for 75 minutes of Acorn's story, a few simple practices from all my books, and some quiet time with your journal.

10 am Mountain · noon Eastern · 5 pm UK · 6 pm central Europe

Can't make it live? Everyone who registers gets the replay.

Save your seat ⟶

With a quick hello from the artist, Kelly van Koppenhagen

Also everywhere books are sold

Thank you! Our first printing is gone.

Pre-orders carried Acorn through its entire first printing, before release day. More signed hardcovers are already on their way from the printer, so orders placed now will ship the week of November 16, still in plenty of time for the holidays.

Need it sooner, and don't need it signed? Find Acorn at your favorite bookstore.

The Signed Edition

$32 · US shipping included

The hardcover of Acorn, signed by Jacob, and inscribed to anyone you name
A bookmark with Kelly’s art
The audiobook, read by Jacob, and The Illustrated Companion, in your inbox the moment you order

The same hardcover is $26.99 at the big online stores. For five dollars more, it comes signed, with the extras, the audiobook, and the shipping.

Ships the week of November 16. For holiday delivery, order by November 20.

Order the Signed Edition ⟶

In Canada?

The Signed Edition, posted to Canada

$42 USD · shipping to Canada included

The hardcover of Acorn, signed by Jacob, and inscribed to anyone you name
A bookmark with Kelly’s art
The audiobook, read by Jacob, and The Illustrated Companion, in your inbox the moment you order

Ships from Boise the week of November 16 and takes about 8–10 days to arrive. For holiday delivery, order by mid-November. Canadian buyers may owe a little GST on delivery.

Order the Signed Edition ⟶

In Europe?

The Signed Edition, posted from the Netherlands

€37 · shipping included

Kelly van Koppenhagen, who illustrated the book, posts these herself, in plastic-free paper packaging, to the EU, the UK, Switzerland, and Norway.

The hardcover of Acorn with a bookplate signed by Jacob and Kelly
A bookmark with Kelly’s art
The audiobook and The Illustrated Companion, in your inbox right away

Ships from the Netherlands within a few days. For holiday delivery, order by mid-November. Buyers in the UK, Switzerland, and Norway may owe import charges on delivery.

Order the Signed Edition ⟶

Outside the US, Canada, and Europe? We can send a signed copy to most countries for the price of the book plus actual international postage (usually $28–35). Email [email protected] with your country, and we’ll send you a quote and a payment link.

Prefer Your Usual Bookstore?

Acorn is everywhere books are sold: hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook

bol.comIn Europe?

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Just Want to Listen?

$6.99 · instant download

Thirty-six minutes, read by Jacob, with original music and the sounds of the meadow, the storm, and the night. Listen in your browser or the free BookFunnel app, or keep the DRM-free MP3s. The Illustrated Companion comes with it: Kelly’s drawings to look at while you listen.

Sending it to someone? Add their email and it goes straight to them.

Get the audiobook ⟶

The Illustrator

Kelly van Koppenhagen draws nature, feelings, and the things we sometimes need to hear. Growing up surrounded by woods, she has always sensed a certain wisdom in the way things grow, change, and find their places — and for years she has worked alongside young people navigating their own hard weather. That spirit runs through the illustrations she shares with a large audience as @drawingplantlady. Illustrating Acorn was a natural homecoming.

“I’ve always believed the small, growing things have something to teach us. Illustrating Acorn gave me a way to put some of that wisdom on paper.”
— Kelly

The Author

Jacob Nordby is a writer, creative guide, and lifelong student of becoming. Through his books and his work, he has helped many people reclaim their creativity and find their own voices — a path that began with his own long unlearning of who he was told to be. That thread runs through everything he writes, and with Acorn it finds its way into a story.

“Acorn showed up as a story while working with a client one day, and then would never leave me alone until I wrote it. I love Acorn because, in some way, this little nut is all of us. We are all becoming.” — Jacob

Good to Know

When will my book arrive?

Signed copies ship from Boise by USPS (Canadian orders take about 8–10 days) and from the Netherlands by PostNL, with tracking. Our first printing sold out, so US and Canadian orders placed now ship the week of November 16. European orders ship within a few days.

Can you sign it to someone?

Yes. In the US and Canada, add a name in the inscription box (up to 30 characters) and Jacob will write it in. Ordering several? Reply to your receipt with the other names. European copies carry a bookplate signed by both Jacob and Kelly.

Is it a children’s book?

It’s a fable for adults and all ages, in the tradition of The Velveteen Rabbit and The Little Prince: simple enough for a child to love, deep enough to grow with the reader who returns to it for years.

How does the audiobook arrive?

By email, the moment you order, along with The Illustrated Companion (PDF). Listen in your browser or the free BookFunnel app, or download the DRM-free MP3s.

Ordering for the holidays?

In the US, order by November 20. In Canada and Europe, order by mid-November. The audiobook arrives instantly, so it’s never too late for that one.

Questions about an order?

Reply to your order email, or write to [email protected].

Not Ready Yet?

Read and hear the opening, free

Leave your name and step inside. You’ll read Acorn from its very first page to the edge of the storm, and hear Jacob read the opening aloud. Afterward, a few letters about how this book came to be.

You’ll start reading right away. Letters come from [email protected], so add us to your contacts and peek in your spam folder just in case. Your address stays between us.

ACORN

A Tale of Becoming · Written by Jacob Nordby · Illustrated by Kelly van Koppenhagen

Manifesto Publishing House, Inc.

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Watch the Trailer

Bring Acorn Home

The Signed Edition

In Canada?

In Europe?

Prefer Your Usual Bookstore?

Just Want to Listen?

Good to Know

Not Ready Yet?

Contact Me