A personalised book about princes and princesses

For a child, being a prince or princess is often not about the clothes at all but about being important: wearing a crown, making decisions and being listened to. A story about royalty lets your child try out how that feels, and discover that the hard part is not sitting on the throne but making wise choices. The prince or princess can wear a cloak or a suit of armour, give a speech or cook in the castle kitchen. What matters is that the kingdom needs your child's particular way of thinking.

A royal adventure can be about finding out why all the clocks have stopped, welcoming an envoy who speaks a language nobody knows, or saving the last apple tree in the land. Your child can put on a disguise and walk among the people to find out what they need, or throw a ball where everyone is invited, even the dragon from the mountains. It is your child's good sense that untangles the problem, not their title. Another quest might be learning the kingdom's ancient laws, discovering that one of them is unfair – and then finding the courage to say so to the royal council.

Let the castle borrow from your own home: the creaky staircase becomes the palace stairs, the kitchen table becomes the long banqueting table. Tell us who is in the story – perhaps big sister is the queen, dad is the cook and the dog is the royal bodyguard. Tell us what your child likes to wear, and the clothes in the book can match, whether that is a cloak, a dress with pockets or wellies under the royal robes. The family pet can have a little crown of its own.

Little ones revel in the crown, the towers and a cuddle from the queen. Three to five is a good age for a simple problem in the kingdom that your child solves. Between about six and nine, the prince or princess might have to choose between two advisers who say different things. For ten-year-olds the story can be about responsibility: what do you do when you are the one in charge of others?

Make paper crowns and let everyone in the family be king or queen for fifteen minutes each. Whoever wears the crown gives a short speech about a law the kingdom ought to have – pudding for everyone on Tuesdays, say, or no one is allowed to wake the cat. Talk about which laws would be fair and which would just be fun. You could also lay the kitchen table for a royal ball, with napkins folded into crowns and a playlist as the court orchestra. If your child wants to keep playing once the book is finished, have a look at the Dressing up theme.

You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about princes and princesses 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 audiobook or 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.