Personalized Children's Books
Personalized Children's Books, Written From Scratch
Most personalised books swap a name into a story written for everyone. Ours start with your child: what they love, who is in their world, what they are going through, and we write and illustrate a picture book that could only be about them.
- Written and illustrated by our in-house team
- Story outline and character sketches approved first
- Printed copies or a published edition available
- Revisions included until the brief is met
What makes it different
Not a template with a name dropped in
Online personalised books are quick and affordable: you type in a name, choose a hair colour, and the same story is printed with those details changed. Children enjoy seeing their name, but the story itself is not about them. Nothing in it is something only they would recognise.
A bespoke personalised book works the other way round. The story is built from real details: the dog who steals socks, the grandparent who lives across an ocean, the night light shaped like a moon, the first day at a new school. A child who finds those details in a real, illustrated book tends to ask for it again and again.
This takes longer and costs more than an automated book. It is suited to a milestone, a family keepsake or a story with a purpose, not a last-minute stocking filler.
Occasions
Books families ask us to create
Birthdays and milestones
A story about the year your child has had, or the adventure they dream about, to mark a birthday or a christening.
A new sibling
A gentle story that helps an older child understand what is changing and what their role will be.
Big changes
Starting school, moving house, a parent working away. A familiar character facing the same change can make it easier to talk about.
Family and heritage
Stories that bring in grandparents, family history, languages spoken at home or traditions you want your child to know.
Classroom and group books
A book featuring a whole class, team or group of cousins, each child with their own part in the story.
Gifts from grandparents
A book written from a grandparent's point of view, with a dedication and family photos in the back if you like.
Not sure which option fits?
Send us the brief. You will get a scope, a timeline and a fixed price within 24 hours — no obligation.
- Story personalisation: a questionnaire and call to gather the details that make the story yours
- Custom writing: an original picture book story, written for your child's age
- Illustration: your child, family and pets drawn as characters, from photos you share
- Design and layout: text and pictures arranged spread by spread, with a cover and dedication page
- Printing options: a set of printed copies for the family, quoted with the project
- Publishing guidance, if you want the book available to buy as well as to keep
How it works
How we create your book
1. Getting to know your child
A questionnaire and a short call: age, interests, family, pets, favourite places and any purpose you have for the book. Photos help the illustrator.
2. Story outline
A short outline of the story, page by page, for you to approve or change before it is written in full.
3. Characters and sketches
Character sketches of your child and family, then rough sketches of each spread with the text in place.
4. Final book
Finished colour artwork, cover and print files, and printed copies if you ordered them. Each book is quoted with its own timeline.
Writing for young readers
Age matters more than length
A book for a two-year-old needs a few words per page, repetition and bold, simple pictures to point at. A book for a six-year-old can carry a real plot, some suspense and jokes in the pictures that the text never mentions. Picture books commonly run to only a few hundred words, so every line has to earn its place.
We write for the age your child will be when they read it, and we read the text aloud while drafting, because a picture book is almost always read aloud by an adult first. If you are planning ahead, for example a book for a baby to grow into, tell us and we will pitch it accordingly.
Planning
Timing and privacy
Because every book is written and illustrated from scratch, it needs more time than an automated personalised book. If the book is for a birthday or holiday, get in touch well before the date and tell us the deadline when you ask for a quote, including the time printed copies need to be produced and shipped.
Photos and family details you share are used only to create your book. If you decide to publish it more widely, we will talk through how much personal detail, such as a child's full name or school, you want in the public edition.
Pricing
What a personalised children's book costs
Each book is quoted per project. The main factors are the number of illustrated pages, how many characters appear (a whole class costs more than one child and a dog), and the number of printed copies. You get a fixed price before writing begins.
Free proposal
Tell us the goal. We’ll send the plan.
Share your requirements and a strategist gets back to you within 24 hours with scope, timeline and a fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
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Response within 24 hours
Usually much sooner during business hours.
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Talk to a strategist
Not a call centre — the person who scopes your work.
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Fixed pricing upfront
You approve the number before anything starts.
Prefer to talk?
[email protected]Questions
Questions about personalized children's books
Still unsure about something? Talk to a specialist — no script, no sales pitch.
Online personalised books use one story for every customer and change a few details such as the name and hair colour. We write an original story from your child's real life and illustrate your child, family and pets from photos. It takes longer and costs more, and the result is a book that exists nowhere else.
Longer than an automated book, because the story is written and the art is drawn from scratch, with your approval at outline and sketch stage. Each book is quoted with its own timeline. If you have a birthday or holiday deadline, tell us when you ask for a quote and allow time for printing and delivery.
Their age, name or nickname, interests, favourite things, the people and pets in their life, and any situation you want the story to help with. Clear photos help the illustrator capture their likeness. Share only what you are comfortable with.
Yes. Printing options are part of the service: we can arrange a set of printed copies for the family, quoted with the project, so grandparents and relatives can have one too. We also supply the digital files.
Yes, if you want it to be. Some families publish a personalised story as a general picture book with names changed. We can guide you through publishing options, and talk through which personal details to leave out of a public edition.
Yes. Books featuring siblings, cousins or a whole class are popular. Each child gets a part in the story and is drawn as a character, and the quote reflects the number of characters and illustrated pages.
Works well with
Pair it with the rest of the stack
Ready when you are
Ready to work with the pros?
Get a free proposal in 24 hours — scope, timeline and fixed price. No obligation, no lock-in contract.
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