Sprinkles of Joy: Zebra-Striped Whale

The word “sweet” is one of many ways to describe Upper Makefield Township resident Shari Faden Donahue’s personality. As an author, illustrator, and owner of Zebra-Striped Whale Ice Cream Café in Newtown, she has a sweetness that extends to many of her life’s accomplishments. Her endeavors include publishing 12 books and co-owning the award-winning ice cream café with her husband, Tom, for more than two decades. Surprisingly, what lead her down this path of passion and creativity was the tragedy of her father’s sudden death.

Finding a Silver Lining

Shari grew up in Northeast Philadelphia, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in psychology, and received an MBA from Drexel University. She worked in marketing where she met Tom, and together with their two daughters, Maxime and Ariele, they settled in Upper Makefield Township 33 years ago.

In 1990, when their daughters were ages 5 and 1, Shari received news that her father had suddenly passed away from a massive heart attack. In her grief, she wrote a heartfelt poem called “The Zebra-Striped Whale with the Polka-Dot Tail.” That kicked off the long process of illustrating the poem’s verses in a children’s book of the same name.

“I wanted to honor my dad in this way because he was such an avid reader,” she says. “He had books in every room of our small house growing up, and he loved the ocean, too. I poured so much love into this book so that our children would remember him. I was not a trained artist, and it took 10 years for me to complete the illustrations. But I developed a love for sharing beautiful children’s picture books with my kids.”

Tom was moved by his wife’s passion and endurance. “Shari was grappling with tough questions about life and death, and this helped her to explore a deeper meaning with an open, loving, childlike curiosity,” he says. “Our kids and I watched in amazement over the course of 10 years as she created these colorful, handmade, multidimensional art pieces for the book she dreamt of completing.”

In addition to writing and illustrating “The Zebra-Striped Whale with the Polka-Dot Tail,” Shari started her own publishing company called Arimax Books (a combination of their daughters’ names) to release the book, and subsequently four more titles in the series—Tom and Shari have worked together on the illustrations for a few of them. She has published several other Arimax titles as well as two under the umbrella of the Zebra-Striped Whale Foundation, a nonprofit entity where all proceeds go toward helping people in the community. She says she generally conceives a new idea every few years.

“The Zebra-Striped Whale books are uplifting and thematically engaging with a fun, meaningful message,” Shari says. “Many of them are about feeling free to do what makes you happy and to shine in being your own, unique, one-of-a-kind self.”

Scoops of Comfort

Another life challenge occurred 23 years ago when Tom was diagnosed with a slow-growing brain tumor (their daughters were ages 19 and 14 at the time). Thankfully, the tumor was benign and successfully remedied, but the experience caused the family to reassess their lives. Shari had always dreamt of opening a fun, engaging ice cream shop. She had many fond childhood memories of being invited to her neighbor’s festive ice cream parties and her mom preparing beautiful desserts.

In December 2004, Tom left the corporate world behind, and the Donahues founded Zebra-Striped Whale Ice Cream Café. The family of four enthusiastically came together to get the store ready for opening.

“We decided unanimously to name the store the Zebra-Striped Whale Ice Cream Café as the namesake for the original Zebra-Striped Whale book in honor of my father,” Shari says. “The book was so colorful and multidimensional, and we extended the look and feel into the store design. The dream for us was to create a warm and comfortable setting with uniquely aesthetic visual dimensions and color. It’s not just about the quality dessert products we sell but the wonderful experience that this love-filled environment brings to our customers.”

Tom says the endeavor was truly a family effort. “Working with my wife and two daughters, we created a dream team where everyone flowed with creative ideas and a vision for the future,” he says. “Our family had never had a retail business before, and it was thrilling to put our self-made business concept into action and come together to create something exciting and unique for people to enjoy.”

For 21 years, the shop has served as a popular gathering place in the community and for surrounding areas. People have also come from far distances to taste the desserts. The store is known for its premium ice cream, milkshakes, crepes, and coffee products. The ice cream they serve comes from local dairies, with decadent feature flavors based on seasonality. A mixing stone allows customers to create delicious, one-of-a-kind delectables called “whirlwinds” in which candy, nuts, or fruit are artfully combined with their favorite ice cream flavor.

“People can literally create whatever they like or choose one of our own creations, such as the Peanut Butter Buck—vanilla ice cream mixed with Reese’s Pieces, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Snickers,” Shari says. “Others prefer pure and simple vanilla. That’s the fun part of serving people—seeing how uniquely different everyone is.”

Another standout feature is a back room where people can sit and enjoy their treats, relax with a book, or buy Shari’s own books inscribed with a personal message. “We added a library of children’s books to the back room to promote literacy and encourage people to associate reading with enjoying time with their families,” she says.

Shari also has worked with the Newtown Rotary Club to erect four Zebra-Striped Whale Library book boxes around Newtown Borough to honor both of her parents—her mom lived until 100.

Living the Sweet Life

The shop’s location in Newtown is close to the Donahues’ home in Upper Makefield Township. The family fell in love with their hometown due to its natural beauty and all the wonderful friends they have met over the years.

“Upper Makefield is a great place to call home,” Shari says. “No matter where we travel, there’s nothing quite as beautiful—even our kids, who have lived in so many places, say so.”

Shari enjoys walking the trail to New Hope, running her favorite six-mile loop down Brownsburg Road and up Stoney Hill, and loves participating in the Revolutionary Run through Washington Crossing Historic Park. She also is delighted to bring her art to the community—she showcased some of her original works at two New Hope Arts exhibits this past year.

Many patrons and employees of the ice cream café also hail from Upper Makefield Township. Michele Rice is a longtime neighbor and friend of the Donahues. “Shari is such an incredible author, and she is very giving to the community,” Rice says. “She’s a great friend, mom, wife, and daughter. The ice cream shop is a special place where my grandchildren come to enjoy quality ice cream and read Shari’s books. It’s a very friendly place to go.”

Memorable Moments

For more than two decades, the Zebra-Striped Whale books and ice cream café have made an impact on the Donahue family as well as the community. Shari says the store has been a part of many celebrations and milestones in people’s lives. Although their daughters have pursued different careers and moved to different parts of the state, Tom and Shari plan to continue their flavorful journey together.

“Seeing a baby have their first taste of ice cream at our store or a child enjoying their ice cream treat while reading their favorite Zebra-Striped Whale book with their mom and dad makes me feel so happy and grateful that we’ve created this warm, fun, and comfortable environment for all to enjoy,” Tom says.

The Donahues both look forward to carrying on their legacy. “A whole generation has been raised on Zebra-Striped Whale—the books and the store—which is crazy to think about,” Shari says. “It’s amazing. We are delighted to have grandchildren now, and it is so much fun to share our books and this very special place with them. It all loops back to my dad and the love for him that inspired all of this. It makes me happy to know his memory lives on.”

Photograph by Jennifer Janikic Photography