Tell us who the story is for: we write the text and draw the characters and the cover. You read the whole story before you decide.
You see the hero, the cover and the first scenes for free, with the whole story to read. You only buy if you love the book.
On the fourteenth double page your hero looks just like on the first, and so do the supporting characters: the dog, the best friend, Grandad.
If you like, add photos, for one character or several. A short description is always enough.
From watercolour to comic, you choose the style, and we keep it from the first page of the book to the last.
Four steps, and you pay nothing until you love the book.
30 seconds
Tell us about the main character: your child, their grandparents or a little digger. Everything can be combined. Add photos if you like.
free
Your character, the cover and the first scenes are ready before you pay anything, and you can already read the whole story.
£4.50
After you buy, you confirm your characters once, then we paint all 14 double pages in about half an hour. You can still change texts and pictures afterwards, and download the book as a PDF.
£37.90 + £5.90 delivery
If you love the book, it comes to you in print: hardback, 21.6 × 28 cm, printed in the European Union, or in the US for orders to the United States. The price of your eBook is fully credited.
Choose the style that suits your story: we keep it on every page of the book.
Watercolour
Luminous, delicate washes on paper: detailed and warm
Ink and watercolour
Fine pen drawing with watercolour: the great picture-book classic
Nordic fairy tale
Scandinavian folk art with forest tones and ornaments
Retro gouache
Like the loveliest picture books of the fifties and sixties
Coloured pencil
Warm, grainy and drawn by hand
Wax crayon
Thick, rich strokes for the very youngest
Paper collage
Cut paper, bold shapes and plenty of charm
Silhouettes
Cut-out shapes against a warm light, like a shadow theatre
Ligne claire
Clear lines in the Franco-Belgian comic tradition
Graphic novel
Strong ink and cinematic pictures for older children
Fine pen
Wobbly pen strokes, lots of white space and quiet humour
Art Nouveau
Like an old book of fairy tales: giant plants and quiet children
3D animation
Like a modern animated film
Risograph
Few ink colours, grainy surfaces and tiny misprints: fresh and playful
Graphic and simple
Clear shapes, few details and bold areas of colour: easy to read for the very youngest
Ukiyo-e inspired
Japanese colour woodblock print: flat colours, fine outlines and rhythmic waves
Chinese ink
Free brushstrokes, soft traces of colour and plenty of empty space: airy and atmospheric
Minhwa world
Inspired by Korean folk painting: decorative plants and charming animals
Cordel woodcut
Bold black-and-white contrast and rough carved lines: direct and expressive
Andean textile art
Inspired by Andean weaving patterns: glowing colours and geometric motifs
Tingatinga world
Rich colours, strong outlines and patterned animals: cheerful and full of energy
Or your own style: if it isn't on the list, just describe it in your own words while you create the book. We'll illustrate your book in that style.
Three things that take work, and that you notice most when they're missing.
Before the first picture, every character gets a precise sheet: face, hairstyle, clothes, size next to the others. Every double page is painted from that sheet, for the hero as much as for the dog, the best friend or Grandad.
Next to the picture, the text sits on a surface painted in the same world: the snow of the scene beside it, the ice, the meadow, the wooden floor. So every double page is painted twice, and the book keeps the same mood from page to page.
Before each page, we settle what you see on it, who stands where and which objects from earlier pages must come back: the scarf lost on page 3, the cave dug on page 7. The result is a story you can read aloud in one go.
No subscription, no hidden costs, and the preview is always free.
£4.50
Final price, no delivery
£37.90+ £5.90 delivery to the United Kingdom
£43.80 in total, plus any import charges
You see the story, the hero and the cover before you pay anything at all.
Bedtime stories to read tonight, messages ready to copy, sourced ages for the great classics and a sourced comparison of brands. Free to read, no sign-up.
Stories for tonight, and sourced guidance from birth to twelve.
When one topic takes up a lot of room at home.
Sourced ages, and what each book asks of a child.
When the card is still blank.
Sagalino next to other brands, with figures and sources.
Also: how it works, the illustration styles, books for every occasion, books by theme and who we are.
The whole story to read, across all 14 double pages, the portrait of your character, the first scenes and the finished cover, all for free. You only pay for the remaining pictures, and only if you love the story.
No. A short description (hair, eyes, favourite outfit) is enough for a lovely hero. If you like, you can add photos, for one character or several, so they look more like the people they're based on. A photo is never required.
About 6 to 8 minutes until the free preview with the story, the hero and the cover. After you buy, you confirm your characters once, then we paint all the pictures, usually in about half an hour. You can watch the book fill up page by page, and we'll email you as soon as it's ready.
Yes, that's our most important promise on quality. Every character gets a precise sheet before the first picture, and all 14 double pages are painted from it: the hero as well as the supporting characters, the dog, the best friend, the grandparents.
Yes. Before you buy, you can already edit the texts or ask for a different wording, shorter or funnier, for example. In the finished eBook you can rewrite pages and have pictures repainted. The finished book downloads as a PDF.
The eBook can be read on any device and downloads as a PDF. The hardcover is printed (in the EU, or in the US for US orders) as soon as you approve the finished book, then delivered to your door up to 13 working days after your approval: £5.90 delivery to the United Kingdom, where import charges may be collected on delivery, and €4.90 to Ireland. We deliver to 214 countries and territories in all; prices for the other countries are on the prices page. You can order it straight away or later: the price of your eBook is then fully credited.
Preview in 6 to 8 minutes. Free. Photo optional.