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Your Story · A book only you can give

Your story.
Their own book.

Turn a memory, a family joke, or a wild idea into a hardcover starring your child. See the cover and first three spreads free.

$59.9932 full-color pages · 8.5 × 8.5 in hardcoverFree US shipping · printed in the USA
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  • You approve every page before it prints
  • Full refund within 24 hours of checkout, before you approve the print
  • $6.99 Free US economy shipping, delivered by about Mon, Nov 16
  • Change any word or picture after checkout

The preview is free. No card needed.

Explore the sample booksFall: Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin

How the preview works

Write a few lines and add one clear photo of your child. We write the story and paint the cover and first three spreads. Read them, then pay $59.99 only if you want the whole book.

What prints

A 32-page, 8.5 × 8.5 in full-color hardcover with a matte cover and the title on the spine. Printed in the USA.

Shipping and refunds

We print each book to order and ship it free in the US by economy post. Most arrive by about Mon, Nov 16. Changed your mind? Ask for a full refund within 24 hours of checkout, as long as you have not approved the book for print yet.

Across our children's book shops, online and in store:

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From your words to the page

What you write ends up in the book.

The names, the little details, the thing they always say. Every marked line below came from the brief, and you can find each one in the book.

The briefA memory we share
Your story idea

Grandpa took Theo to the pumpkin patch for the first time last Saturday. Theo walked right past all the round ones and picked the because he said , then .

A detail to include

The pumpkin leans way over to one side

Another detail 2

Spread 12 of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: 'It's smiling at me,' says Theo, choosing the most lopsided pumpkin in the field. Both hands close around it.
Spread 12 The pumpkin he picked, painted leaning. Printed in Theo's own voice.
Spread 14 of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: The pumpkin rides on Theo's lap. Grandpa sits close as the red tractor pulls the bumpy hay wagon back.
Spread 14 The pumpkin rides on his lap. The red tractor pulls the wagon home.

Look inside

A whole sample book, every page.

Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin, all 32 pages. Your free preview is the cover and first three spreads of your own book. We paint the rest after you order, and you can still change any page before it prints.

The brief

Grandpa took Theo to the pumpkin patch for the first time last Saturday. Theo walked right past all the round ones and picked the most lopsided pumpkin in the field because he said it was smiling at him, then held it on his lap the whole hay ride back.

Cover of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin
The brief

Grandpa took Theo to the pumpkin patch for the first time last Saturday. Theo walked right past all the round ones and picked the most lopsided pumpkin in the field because he said it was smiling at him, then held it on his lap the whole hay ride back.

Cover of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin
Spread 1 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Last Saturday afternoon, Theo holds Grandpa's hand for a first look at the sunny fall pumpkin patch.
Spread 2 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo walks right past the round pumpkins, big ones and small ones. Grandpa follows those quick feet.
Spread 3 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo spots the most lopsided pumpkin. The hay wagon waits beyond the field. Will that pumpkin fit on a lap?
Spread 4 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo stops beside it. The pumpkin leans way over to one side, as if the field tips underneath.
Spread 5 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo steps around the pumpkin. Dry leaves crunch underfoot. On this side, the orange skin puckers into a crease.
Spread 6 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo bends closer, then farther sideways. That crooked crease is hard to see standing straight.
Spread 7 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Grandpa bends down beside Theo and follows the crease around the pumpkin. Two heads lean toward the same crooked line.
Spread 8 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo tips too far and plants both hands on the ground. Grandpa steadies a shoulder. Looking takes balance.
Spread 9 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo looks up at a rumble. The red tractor waits beside the bumpy hay wagon. 'There's the ride,' says Grandpa.
Spread 10 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo looks back at the pumpkin's crease. One end curls higher than the other. A sideways smile.
Spread 11 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo reaches toward the crooked pumpkin. Grandpa moves closer to help lift it. From the tractor comes a putt, putt.
Spread 12 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: 'It's smiling at me,' says Theo, choosing the most lopsided pumpkin in the field. Both hands close around it.
Spread 13 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo lifts the pumpkin. Grandpa helps carry it to the hay wagon. 'Room for this one?'
Spread 14 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: The pumpkin rides on Theo's lap. Grandpa sits close as the red tractor pulls the bumpy hay wagon back.
Spread 15 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo steadies the pumpkin over a wagon bump, beside Grandpa.
Spread 16 of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo keeps the pumpkin close the whole way back. Grandpa's hand rests beside it. There is room.

Cover. In the free preview.

Free preview: cover and spreads 1–3Finished after you order. You can edit any page.

Yours to change until it prints

  • After you pay, change any word or picture. Each change redraws that page, and you get 100 redraws.
  • Nothing prints until you approve the book.
  • You still have 24 hours after you approve to change things. Then it goes to print.
  • Full refund within 24 hours of checkout, if you have not approved it yet.
Start your free preview →

Where your words land

Spread 12, up close.

A page near the end of Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin. Each number marks something that came from the brief.

Spread 12 of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: 'It's smiling at me,' says Theo, choosing the most lopsided pumpkin in the field. Both hands close around it.

Made for this season

A story from this season.

A pumpkin patch, a new friend, a first spiral, a morning of cookies. Pick one to see the book we made from it.

Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin leaning against a small pumpkin on a pale oak table with maple leaves by a bright autumn window.

Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin

The briefA memory we share
Grandpa took Theo to the pumpkin patch for the first time last Saturday. Theo walked right past all the round ones and picked the most lopsided pumpkin in the field because he said it was smiling at him, then held it on his lap the whole hay ride back.

The free preview from this brief

Spread 1 of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Last Saturday afternoon, Theo holds Grandpa's hand for a first look at the sunny fall pumpkin patch.Spread 2 of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo walks right past the round pumpkins, big ones and small ones. Grandpa follows those quick feet.Spread 3 of the sample book Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin: Theo spots the most lopsided pumpkin. The hay wagon waits beyond the field. Will that pumpkin fit on a lap?
Start a fall story →

What arrives

A hardcover you can hand down.

  • The cream spine of the hardcover printed with the title Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin, on a pale oak shelf.
    The title, with their name, on the spine.A slim hardcover with a cream spine. It sits on the shelf with the rest of their books.
  • Close view of a printed page corner: watercolor kitchen, snowy window, and the line 'first snow keeps falling.'
    32 full-color pages, printed in the USA.Matte pages and big, clear type, easy to read aloud with a child on your lap.
  • 8.5 × 8.5 in, sized for a lap.Open, it is 17 inches across, with plenty of room for the pictures and the words.Drawn from the Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin sample art.

Every family's book is different

Ten briefs, ten books.

A pale oak shelf with Theo and the Smiling Pumpkin and Lily and the Star Cookies face-out and three books stacked spine-out: Jonah Gives It a Turn, Owen and the First Fish, Rosa and the Sock Island.
  • Cover of the sample book Theo and the Smiling PumpkinTheo and the Smiling PumpkinA lopsided pumpkin on the hay ride home.
  • Cover of the sample book Diego and the Golden MazeDiego and the Golden MazeA paper map, a red barn, and the way out of the corn.
  • Cover of the sample book Henry and the Maple LeavesHenry and the Maple LeavesThe biggest leaf pile ever, and cider with Pop.
  • Cover of the sample book Priya Makes RoomPriya Makes RoomA new friend and a purple crayon.
  • Cover of the sample book Anika and the SneakerAnika and the SneakerOne sneaker, a muddy chase, and the bus with seconds to spare.
  • Cover of the sample book Jonah Gives It a TurnJonah Gives It a TurnA wobbly first spiral, caught.
  • Cover of the sample book Lily and the Star CookiesLily and the Star CookiesStar cookies on the first snowy day.
  • Cover of the sample book Owen and the First FishOwen and the First FishA first fish at the lake with Grandma.
  • Cover of the sample book Rosa and the Sock IslandRosa and the Sock IslandA cardboard boat, a grumpy cat, and the island of lost socks.
  • Cover of the sample book Lila and the Next PedalLila and the Next PedalLearning to ride without training wheels, falls included.

How it works

Three steps. The first is one sentence.

  1. Tell us what happenedA sentence or two about a real day, or what you want the book to do. Add a detail or a phrase they always say, if you like.
  2. Add one photoOne clear photo of your child. We draw them on every page.
  3. Read the preview, then decideSee the cover and first three spreads free. Order the hardcover only if you love it.
  • Preview before you payThe cover and first three spreads, free. No card.
  • Free US shippingEvery book is printed to order and mailed free.
  • 24-hour refundChanged your mind? Get a full refund within 24 hours of checkout, before you approve the book.

Questions

Before you start

How much do I have to write?

One sentence is enough. Tell us what happened, or what you want the book to do. Names, places and a favorite phrase help. Everything else is optional.

Who writes the story?

We do. You give us the moment and the details only your family knows, and we write and illustrate all 32 pages around them.

What do I see before paying?

The cover and the first three spreads, with your child in them. If it is not right, stop there and pay nothing.

Can I change it after I pay?

Yes. After checkout we finish every page, and you can change any word or picture. Each change redraws that page, and you get 100 redraws. Nothing prints until you approve the book, and you have 24 hours after that for last changes.

When does it arrive?

We print each book once you approve it and mail it free in the US by economy post. Order today and most books arrive by about Mon, Nov 16.

What if I change my mind?

Ask for a full refund within 24 hours of checkout, as long as you have not approved the book for print yet.

What happens to the photo?

We keep it private and use it only to draw your child. We never sell it or use it to train models, and you can delete it anytime.

Start with one sentence.

Write what happened, add one photo, and read the first pages before you decide. $59.99 for the 32-page hardcover, shipped free.

Start your free preview →

The preview is free. No card needed.

No card needed$59.99 if you orderStart free preview →