A personalised book about knights and dragons

Knights and dragons may well be the oldest adventure pairing there is: one carries a sword, the other breathes fire. Children are drawn to things that are big and dangerous, but also to the question of who is really dangerous. In a knight's tale your child gets to wear armour, ride across the drawbridge and come face to face with a dragon – and then choose what happens next. Fight or friendship? Courage can mean daring to step closer and listen, and that kind of courage suits both the child who wants to battle and the one who would rather talk.

A book about knights and dragons does not have to end in a fight. Your child can win a tournament by being the cleverest rather than the strongest, follow a dragon who has lost its fire and cannot keep its eggs warm, or settle an old quarrel between the castle and the mountain. Another adventure begins with a cry for help from a village whose well has run dry, and the spring turns out to rise high up where the dragon lives. The dragon might be lonely, have a cold or simply be misunderstood. In the idea The Dragon Who Was Afraid, it is the dragon who needs the courage.

Knights carried shields with pictures that showed who they were. Work out together what should go on your child's shield: a cat, a bike, a squirrel, a football? Tell us, and the shield can appear in the book. Tell us too what your child is good at – running fast, climbing high or comforting others – and the knight will solve the quest in their own way. Brothers and sisters become squires, and the dog can be the knight's faithful companion. If there is a dragon among your child's cuddly toys, it can become the dragon in the book.

The very youngest get a dragon that is big and green, goes roaaar and then falls asleep. From three, a clear journey up to the dragon's cave and home again works well. Six-year-olds can handle a dilemma: the queen wants the dragon gone, but your child knows something she does not. For ten-year-olds the adventure can have false trails and an ending that takes them by surprise.

Make a shield from cardboard, draw your child's coat of arms on it and hold a tournament on the sofa with cushions for lances. Then talk about what being brave means. Was the dragon dangerous, or did everyone just think so? Who in the book was the bravest – and was that the same person as the strongest? You could also make a dragon of your own from an egg box and decide what it is scared of.

You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about knights and dragons 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.