A birthday book with the birthday person inside it
A personalized birthday book with the birthday person on the cover and a fresh adventure inside, whether they are turning five or fifty, ready for the party or read tonight.
Most birthday presents are forgotten by the next birthday. A personalized birthday book sticks around because the birthday person is inside it, made from their photo, wearing the crown, leading a story written around the age they are turning and whatever they cannot stop talking about this year. Dinosaurs at four, soccer at nine, sourdough at thirty-five, the boat at sixty.
A fifth birthday and a fiftieth both belong here. Grandparents use it as the gift that beats another plastic toy, friends use it for the person who has everything, and partners use it for the milestone year that deserves more than a card. Order the keepsake hardcover with a dedication that records the year, or read the digital edition tonight if the party is tomorrow.
A present that knows exactly how old they are
Every birthday has a theme, and it is usually whatever the birthday person cannot stop talking about. We write the story around that, so a six-year-old who lives for excavators gets an excavator plot and a forty-year-old who has taken up marathons gets a very long race with snacks. The hero has their face, the friends can be in it, and the dedication records who gave it and which birthday it was. A year later the book is a time capsule of exactly who they were.
Five ways this book could go
Use one as it is, or tell us your own. The story is written fresh either way.
Your five-year-old wakes to find the whole town has forgotten how to count, and only the birthday kid can fix it.
A sixteenth birthday where the car keys are guarded by a dragon who insists on a driving test first.
Your husband turns forty and receives forty tiny quests, the last of which ends at his own surprise party.
For a fiftieth: your mom's life so far, told as the greatest road trip ever taken, with the kids in the back seat.
The birthday cake escapes the kitchen and Grandpa, age eighty, chases it through the neighborhood on his bicycle.
Your idea
The stuffed rabbit, the trip to the lake, the sourdough that never rose. Type it in and it ends up on the page.
Start the bookReady tonight, printed in about ten days
Tell us about them
Name, age, what they love, the occasion, and a photo or two. Up to three people or pets in one book, any age.
See the first pages free
We write and illustrate a story around them in the style you picked. Change anything before you pay.
Read it, then hold it
The digital book is yours in minutes. Add the Keepsake Hardcover with your dedication printed on the first page.
Gifting tips
- Put the number in the story; turning six or turning sixty is a bigger deal than a birthday in general.
- Find out what they are into right now and make it the plot, not the decorations.
- Read it aloud at the party; a story starring the guest of honor is a good crowd activity.
- If the party is under two weeks away, get the digital edition now and the hardcover after.
One price per book
The Storybook
- Up to 24 pages in any art style
- Their photo becomes the hero
- Online, PDF and a link to share
Keepsake Hardcover
- 8.5″ square premium hardcover
- Dedication and bookplate printed inside
- Ships in 7–12 business days
Not sure of their photo or their favourite things? Send an e-gift and let them make it.
Birthday gifts book questions
How far ahead should I order for a birthday?
Two weeks is comfortable. The hardcover prints and ships in 7–12 business days, so ordering at the start of the month covers a party at the end of it. If the birthday is closer, buy the digital edition, read it tonight and hand over the hardcover as an after-party keepsake when it arrives.
Does it work for an adult birthday?
It works especially well for the milestone ones. A thirtieth, fortieth or sixtieth gives us decades of material: the jobs, the moves, the dog, the friend who is still around from second grade. We write the birthday person into an adventure built from that history, draw them from a photo in the style you pick, and print it as a hardcover they will not throw away.
What does a birthday book cost?
The digital edition is $14.99 and you can read it tonight. The keepsake hardcover is $39.99, which includes the digital edition and free US shipping, and prints as an 8.5-inch square premium hardcover with a dedication page and printed bookplate. Art style, reading level and the number of characters do not change the price.
Can the party guests be in it?
A story holds up to three people or pets, so the birthday kid plus two best friends, or the birthday adult with a partner and the dog. Everyone else gets a name in the story or a line on the dedication page. For a big party, reading the book aloud makes the guests who are not in it feel like they are.
Do you ship outside the United States?
Yes. Shipping is free anywhere in the United States, and we also print and ship to Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Books for those countries are printed in the same region, so they do not travel far; the exact shipping cost is quoted on the order page before you pay.
