How Personalized Storybooks Work: Photo to Printed Book

Personalized storybooks work by turning one photo and a name into a book where your child is the hero. With Talesona, you choose a story, upload one photo of your child and type their name, then see a free preview with their name on the cover and their face in the illustrations of every page, before you pay anything. If you're happy, you choose a printed book (softcover or hardcover) or an e-book.

Below is the whole process, step by step, followed by answers to the questions parents ask most.

How it works, step by step

Step 1: Choose a story

Browse the catalogue and pick the story that fits your child. Talesona stories are 32 pages and written for roughly ages 2 to 10. They include:

• Islamic-values stories, such as My Day Begins with Bismillah, The Five Prayers, Sadaqah That Grows, Dua in Makkah, The Last Iftar Box, The Eid Dress and The Light of Wisdom, a story about the scientist Ibn al-Haytham.
• General stories, such as The Little Astronaut, One Kick, One Dream, Mira Leads the Rose Parade, My First Day of School and The Elephant Clock, a story about the engineer al-Jazari.

Many stories are also available in Arabic.

Not sure which to pick? Start with what your child loves right now. A child who talks about rockets may love The Little Astronaut; a child about to start school may find comfort in My First Day of School; a family preparing for Ramadan might choose The Last Iftar Box. If you have more than one child, each can have their own story.

Step 2: Upload one photo and enter your child's name

You only need one photo. A clear, well-lit photo where your child's face is easy to see, looking towards the camera, gives the illustrations a good reference. Then type your child's name exactly as you'd like it to appear on the cover.

Step 3: See your free preview

This is where personalization comes to life. Your preview shows your child as the hero, with their name on the cover and their face in the illustrations. It's free, and there's no obligation to buy: see it before you pay.

Take your time. Check the spelling of the name and make sure you're happy with how your child looks.

Step 4: Choose your format

• Hardcover: sturdy, ideal for keeping and for little hands.
• Softcover: lighter and easy to take anywhere.
• E-book: to read on a device.

Prices can be shown in your local currency.

Step 5: Printing and delivery

Printed books are produced and shipped by our print partner. An estimated delivery time is shown at checkout. It's typically about one to two weeks, depending on your country. We don't promise specific dates, so for birthdays and holidays it's wise to order early.

Your child's photo and privacy

Parents are right to ask how a company handles their child's photo. The researcher Natalia Kucirkova, who studies personalized books, suggests parents ask exactly this: is my child's data collected and kept safe by a company I can trust?

Here is what we can tell you clearly:

• We ask for one photo of your child and their name to create the book.
• The original uploaded photo is deleted within 30 days.
• You decide whether to buy. The preview is free, and nothing is printed unless you order.

If you are giving a book to someone else's child, please ask the parents for the photo and their permission first.

What makes a personalized book worth it?

A personalized book is more than a novelty when it is a good story first. Small studies of personalized picture books have found that preschoolers talked more during shared reading and learned new words better in the personalized sections, likely because children pay closer attention to stories about themselves. That's the heart of the idea: she's not just reading the story… she's in it.

The real value comes when you read it together, talk about it and return to it. One photo. Free preview. A real book.

Key takeaways

• Choose a story, upload one photo, type your child's name.
• See a free preview, with their name on the cover and their face in every page's illustrations, before paying.
• Choose hardcover, softcover or e-book; prices can be shown in local currency.
• Delivery estimates are shown at checkout, typically about 1–2 weeks depending on country.
• The original uploaded photo is deleted within 30 days.

Sources

• Kucirkova, N. (2018). Personalized books for children: What you need to know. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/just-for-you/201809/personalized-books-for-children-what-you-need-to-know
• Kucirkova, N., Messer, D., & Sheehy, K. (2014). The effects of personalization on young children's spontaneous speech during shared book reading. Journal of Pragmatics, 71, 45–55. https://oro.open.ac.uk/40735
• Kucirkova, N., Messer, D., & Sheehy, K. (2014). Reading personalized books with preschool children enhances their word acquisition. First Language, 34(3), 227–243. https://oro.open.ac.uk/40613

Ready to see your child as the hero? Upload one photo and get your free preview.