A board book where your child gets to be the hero
Start with one clear photo and a few details from this age: the nickname, the favorite thing, the tiny habit you do not want to forget. TinyStar turns them into a custom board book made for ages 1-6.
Start their book: upload the photo, see a free preview
What arrives in the mailbox
A 6 by 6 inch board book, 20 pages, printed on chipboard a sixteenth of an inch thick with a matte laminate and rounded corners. It is the same construction as the board books already on your shelf. That matters, because a two year old will carry it by one corner, sit on it, and hand it back for the fourth reading of the night. Inside are ten story spreads, a front cover with your child's name on it, and a back cover.
Where the photo goes
You upload one photo. Not a set, not a photoshoot. One. We use it to draw your child as the hero on the cover and in every spread, in whichever of the ten illustration styles you choose, from Dreamy Watercolor to Comic Pop. The photo is used to make the artwork for this order and nothing else. Here is exactly what happens to it.
The story is written for this child, not swapped in
Most personalized books are one story with a name field. This one is written after you tell us the age, the favorite thing, and the moment you want to keep, so a book about becoming a big sibling reads nothing like a book about a kid who refuses to take off the dinosaur pajamas. For a one year old the lines are short and a phrase comes back on purpose. For a five year old there is an actual plot.
You see a free preview of the cover and one spread before you pay anything. If the preview does not look like your child, change the photo or the details and run it again. It costs nothing until you say yes.
What to put in the details box
The best books come from the smallest facts. The word they say wrong. The stuffed animal that has to come to the grocery store. The way they say goodnight to the moon out the window. Two or three of those beat a paragraph of adjectives, and they are the parts you will not remember in ten years.
Two books, one order
Siblings notice. Two board books are $89 together with free US shipping, instead of $98. Make the first one, and on the preview screen there is a button to start the second child's book. Both ship in the same box.
Timing
Every book is printed to order. Count on 3 to 5 business days to print and another 5 to 8 to ship, so about two weeks door to door within the United States. For a birthday, order two weeks out and add the $10 digital PDF. We email it before the printed book lands, in case the mail is slow.
If it is wrong, we fix it
If the printed book does not look like your child, we redo it or refund it. We check every page before it goes to print. That review step is the reason the guarantee is affordable to offer.
Start with the photo. Or read how a photo becomes their book, step by step. Buying for a toddler? Here is what changes for ages one to three.
Questions parents ask
What age is a personalized board book best for?
Ages 1 to 6. The board book format is made for little hands, lap reading, and repeat requests. The story itself is written to the age you give us.
How many pages is it?
20 pages: ten illustrated story spreads plus a front cover with your child's name and a back cover, printed 6 by 6 inches on chipboard with rounded corners.
How long does a TinyStar board book take?
About two weeks door to door in the United States: 3 to 5 business days to print, 5 to 8 to ship. Add the $10 digital PDF and we email it before the printed book arrives.
Can I order books for two children?
Yes. Two board books are $89 together with free US shipping, instead of $98. Make the first book, then add the second child from the preview screen.