One photo in, a storybook hero out
A personalized book made from a photo of anyone you love, where the illustrated hero has their real face and a story written just for them, whatever their age.
Send us one photo of the person you have in mind, and we draw them as the hero of a book, in the art style you choose, recognizable on every page. That person can be your husband, your mother, the friend who got you through your twenties or the kid who just learned to read. The face on the page is theirs, illustrated, not a snapshot in a frame.
Up to three people or pets can share one story, so a couple and their dog, a mother and two daughters, or three college roommates all fit. Pick from eight styles, from watercolor to claymation to toy bricks, and tell us the plot in a few lines. The keepsake hardcover comes with a dedication page and printed bookplate, and the digital edition is ready to read tonight.
Why a face beats a name in a blank
Plenty of personalized books swap a name into a story that already exists, so the hero looks like everybody else's hero. Ours is written fresh and drawn from a real photo, which means the person opening it sees their own grin, their own hair and the glasses they never take off. That flash of recognition is what makes an adult laugh out loud on page one and a child carry the book around the house. Everyone else in the room recognizes them too.
Five ways this book could go
Use one as it is, or tell us your own. The story is written fresh either way.
Your partner opens a door at the back of the closet and finds a kingdom that has been waiting for its rightful ruler.
Your mom, shrunk to the size of a bee, spends a day touring the garden she has tended for thirty years.
Two best friends swap lives for twenty-four hours and discover what the other one actually does all day.
The family cat narrates a day in the life of your kid, who is obviously the most important person alive.
Your dad becomes the reluctant hero of a heist in which the loot is the last slice of his own birthday cake.
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
- Pick a photo with the face sharp, front-on and well lit; a phone snapshot is fine.
- Send one photo per character; a group shot makes it harder to tell who is who.
- Match the style to the person: anime for a teenager, painterly for a grandmother, claymation for a toddler.
- Read the digital edition together first and watch them spot themselves on the cover.
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.
Photo books book questions
How does a photo become the character?
You upload one clear photo of the person and we draw them from it in the style you choose, keeping the features that make them recognizable: face shape, hair, skin tone, the dimple, the beard. That same character then carries the whole story we write for them. It is an illustration of the person, not a photo pasted onto a page.
What kind of photo works best?
A recent one, face toward the camera, in good light, with nothing covering the face. Hats, sunglasses and a head turned to the side make the likeness harder. If you are choosing between a stiff office headshot and a relaxed smile at a kitchen table, pick the smile, because the character will have more life in it.
Can it be about an adult?
Yes, and some of our favorite heroes are grown-ups. A husband becomes a knight who is late for dinner, a mother becomes the captain of her own garden, a best friend becomes a detective in the city you shared. We write the story from what you tell us about them and pitch the tone to fit, tender or ridiculous.
Is it a photo book or an illustrated book?
An illustrated book, made from a photo. A photo book shows the pictures you already have; this one turns the person into a drawn character who can ride a dragon, run a bakery or sail to the moon, in any of eight styles. Think of it as the storybook version of someone you love, built from their real face.
