A personalised book about a birthday

A birthday is the one day of the year when your child is right at the centre of everything. There is the singing that wakes them up, the cards, the presents, the question of how old they are now and the answer held up on their fingers. Lots of children count down the days long in advance. A birthday book takes that feeling and turns it into an adventure where your child is both the one being celebrated and the one who saves the day. Made before the big day it builds the excitement, and read afterwards it is a reminder of what it was like to turn that particular age.

In many families a birthday begins in bed, with singing, presents and breakfast carried in. The book can start there and then go anywhere at all: a party where the balloons lift the house off the ground, a cake that has to be rescued from a hungry dragon, a treasure hunt where the guests have hidden the clues, a present that turns out to be a door into another world. If your child's birthday falls in the summer holidays or right in the middle of the Christmas break, the story can make the most of that season.

The main thing is that the day stays your child's and ends with candles being blown out. One example to start from is The Party That Became an Adventure.

Tell us which age your child is turning, and the number can have a place in the story – five balloons, seven candles, ten steps to the treasure. Tell us what your child is wishing for, who usually comes, their favourite cake and how you celebrate at home. If friends are invited they can be named, and brothers, sisters, parents or a grandparent can come along into the story.

If the party has a theme – space, horses, dinosaurs – the adventure can head there. If you celebrate differently, with a family meal, a day out or a whole day with just one parent, tell us, and that becomes the frame for the story.

A two-year-old loves candles, singing and getting to blow. At three, four and five, the waiting becomes part of the fun, and the book can count down the days. From six upwards the adventure can be bigger and trickier, and for a ten-year-old a little more reflection fits – about growing out of something and into something new. If your child would like, the book can be read aloud to the guests at the party.

Afterwards, ask what your child thinks they will be able to do in a year's time that they can't do today. Write the answer on a slip of paper and keep it in the book until the next birthday.

You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about a birthday is written for your very own child, and the thirteen pictures and the cover are drawn from the photo in the style you choose. Brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents or the pet can come along, up to five characters. If you would like to include something that has happened lately, a trip or a lost tooth, just write it and it is woven in.

The eBook is ready a few minutes after payment. Read it, change the text and ask for new pictures until you are happy. Then order it as an A4 hardback book, printed and sent to your door, or straight to the child as a gift. Do add the colouring pages. Start creating the book or read more about the prices. Would you like to see a finished book before you decide? Browse our example books.