Birthday
A birthday book with your child in it
Not a book that simply says there is bunting, but a story about the day itself: the cake that collapses, the guest who cancels, the night before when sleep will not come. And how the child sorts it out.
- Free preview
- Premium hardcover, 21 x 21 cm
- Printed in Europe
£24.99
hardcover, 21 x 21 cm
8 working days
printed and delivered
Free preview
decide afterwards
8 stories
or write your own
Why a birthday story needs something to go wrong
Most birthday books are a list: bunting, cake, presents, a song. That reads well once and never again, because nothing happens. A story needs a moment where something goes wrong.
So every storyline here turns on an incident. The cake collapses an hour before the party. One guest after another cancels. The present turns out to be the wrong one. Someone has a birthday in the summer holidays, when everybody is away. Those are the things that turn a birthday into a story, and they are recognisable too.
In every case it is your child who solves it. That is the whole idea: the main character has your child's name, does what your child would do, and comes out of it as the one who sorted it.
A birthday is also the gift moment that runs all year. If you are looking for something for a specific age, the pages by age set out what works at three, four, five or six.
You pick a storyline, fill in the name and see the book immediately in a free preview, page by page. Only when it is right does it go to print as a premium hardcover of 21 by 21 cm, delivered within eight working days.
Would something else fit better?
A book with a name in it works for more moments than this one.
Gift for a 3 year old
What works for a toddler who wants to do everything alone.
Gift for a 5 year old
Just started school, and keen on stories with a plot.
Book with a name
The wider overview of everything we make with a name in it.
Gift guide
Every occasion in one place, by age and by recipient.
Personalise a book
What you can change, and where the limits are.
Christmas book
The same idea for December, with Father Christmas in it.
What happens in the book?
Pick a storyline as a starting point or write your own. Whatever you choose is waiting in the form, and you can still edit the text.
The cake has collapsed
One hour before the guests, and it is a wreck.
Choose this story 2Almost nobody is coming
Six invitations, five apologies.
Choose this story 3The night before your birthday
Sleep is impossible and the clock is going slowly on purpose.
Choose this story 4The same present twice
From two people, and both of them are watching.
Choose this story 5Please do not sing
The whole class is looking, and that is the problem.
Choose this story 6A birthday when everyone is away
Half the class is gone, and your birthday lands right in the middle.
Choose this storyShow all 8 stories Show fewer stories
The surprise that leaked
Somebody could not keep it in.
Choose this story 8A year older and nothing has changed
You wake up and you are exactly the same.
Choose this storyOr write your own story
Did something happen at an earlier birthday that the family still talks about? Write it in a few sentences, with the details only you know.
Write my ownWhat one of these birthday books looks like
A book we actually made, not a mock-up. It follows the story "The cake collapsed" from above: an hour before the party the cake falls in, and Jesse turns what is left in the kitchen into something else entirely.
Jesse's Marvellous Muddle Mountain
Jesse, 6, from "The cake collapsed" 
"Echt heel leuk! Onze dochters vonden het fantastisch. Je kan heel eenvoudig je eigen boekje maken en de kwaliteit is echt heel goed."
JB
Geverifieerde koper
"Komend jaar titel 'Lievelings oom' weer veiliggesteld! Leuke boekje en nette afwerking!"
Adriaan
Geverifieerde koper
"Boekjes worden heel mooi. Ons zoontje herkende zich zelf en mama echt in het boekje!"
Evelien
Geverifieerde koper
Questions about the birthday book
What age is it for?
The stories work from about two to eight. If you want advice by age, the pages for 3, 4, 5 and 6 year olds set out what works at that age and what does not.
Can the age appear in the book?
Yes. Mention in the story field how old the child is turning and it will appear in the text and on the cake. Leave it out and the age stays open, which is handy if you may want to give the book again later.
Can friends or siblings be in it?
Yes. Every name you enter appears in the story and in the illustrations. For a book where several children share the lead, there is a separate page about books with more than one name.
How quickly does it arrive?
Making the book and viewing the preview is instant. As a hardcover it is printed after your approval and delivered within eight working days. Allow for that if it has to be ready on the day.
What does it cost?
Making the book and viewing the full preview is free. The current price for the premium hardcover is at the top of this page, plus shipping.
Can I still change the story?
Yes. The storyline you pick appears as text in the form, so you can rewrite, shorten or add to it before the book is made.
Make the birthday book
Pick a story or write your own. You see the whole book for free before anything is printed.
Start choosing£24.99
hardcover, 21 x 21 cm