How to create a personalized story book for your child

What makes a story book personal

You know the moment. You are halfway through a story, and your child stops you to point at a picture and say “that’s me!” Their whole face changes. That moment is what a personalized story book is for.

A lot of personalized books stop at the name. They swap “Maya” into a story that was written long before Maya was born, and once the novelty wears off it sits on the shelf. The books children ask for again go further. The people in them are their people. The adventure comes from something they actually love. And the words sound like a book they can read, not one pitched at somebody else’s child.

Whether you make one at the kitchen table or have one made with you, it comes down to the same six choices. Let’s go through them.

Choose who stars in the story

Start with your child, then ask yourself who they would want beside them on an adventure. A big sister. The grandparent who calls every Sunday from far away. Their best friend from school. And, very often, the dog. Children light up when someone they know turns up on the page, and a story with their whole crew in it is the one they bring back to you at the end of the day.

One tip we have learned: keep the cast small. Two heroes and a pet each get a proper part to play, while six characters end up sharing the pages and nobody gets much to do. And your child does not always have to be the hero. A story where Grandma saves the day makes a lovely present for both of them. Here is how casting works, and how pets and companions join in.

Personalized books for toddlers and older kids

Age changes everything. A toddler wants short pages, one simple thing happening at a time, and your voice reading it while they study the pictures. Somewhere around four, children start following a real plot, with a problem that needs solving. By seven or eight, many are reading on their own and want chapters, jokes, and a few big words to stretch for.

If you are not sure where to pitch it, aim a little below where they read today. A book that feels easy gets finished, and then read again with pride. A book that feels hard gets quietly put down. Try reading one page aloud and watch their face: if they lose the thread, shorten the sentences. See how a reading level can move with them.

Pick a theme from what they love

Walk down any toy aisle and you will see personalized books for girls and for boys sorted into pink and blue before anyone has asked the child. We think it works much better the other way round. Start with your child. The little girl who will not stop talking about diggers wants a digger story. The little boy who sets out tea for his stuffed animals every morning wants that one. Ask them what they talked about this week, and build from there.

Celebrations make wonderful stories too. A birthday, a new baby on the way, the first day of school, a move to a new house: children love hearing a story about a big day before it comes and long after it has gone. Once you have a theme, choose the kind of tale it will be. A quest, a mystery, something silly, or a quiet adventure close to home. Here are the kinds of story you can choose from.

Personalized story books with pictures that look like them

For a young reader, the pictures are half the story. Think about the mood. Soft watercolour suits a gentle story, and a bold cartoon or a comic suits a loud one. Better still, let your child choose. It is the one decision they can make without reading a word, and they will feel it is truly their book.

If you want the characters to look like your family, start with one good photo of each person. Close up, facing the camera, in daylight, without sunglasses or a hat. There is a big difference between a drawing made from a photo and a face cut out and pasted onto a cartoon body. The drawing belongs in the scene. The pasted face never quite does. Read how one photo becomes a drawing, and take a look at the art styles. There is more on choosing the photo in our post on story books with photos.

Make it teach something

People taught their children through stories long before there were schools, and for good reason. A lesson that happens to someone you care about is a lesson you keep. So tuck one idea inside the plot, rather than adding it at the end. The hero has to count the bridges to find the way home. Or work out why the snowman melted. Or find the words to say sorry to a friend.

One idea per book is plenty. A lovely place to look is whatever their class is working on this week, or a habit you are trying to build at home. See how a book can follow their school curriculum, or teach a life skill, and why children learn so well through stories.

Read it, hear it, and print it

A good story book gets read in all sorts of ways. Curled up together on the sofa. Read aloud by a voice while the words light up, so a child who is still learning can follow along on their own. Printed out and tucked into a school bag. And sent to the grandparents, who, let’s be honest, will want to see it more than anyone.

Read along, word by word, print it at home, or share it privately with family.

A quick checklist before you start

Answer these six questions, and you have everything you need for a book.

1. Who stars, and who comes along?
2. How old are they, and how well do they read today?
3. What do they love right now, or what are you celebrating?
4. What should the pictures look like?
5. What one thing should the story teach?
6. How will they read it: together, aloud, or on paper?