Christmas present for a 3-year-old: a personalised children's book

A three-year-old can be a firefighter in the kitchen and a cat under the table, all in one morning. This book welcomes that imagination, with two to four sentences per page, a little dialogue and a small problem your child gets to solve. There's just enough excitement, the ending is always reassuring, and your child will recognise their own face in the pictures.

Make a book for a 3-year-old

Hardback in time for Christmas: order by 29 November

A three-year-old's world

A three-year-old asks ‘why’ about everything, from the rain to Grandad's beard. Their sentences grow longer, and they love telling you what happened, sometimes with a dragon thrown in. Their play has a story: teddy is ill and needs a doctor, or the blocks are a train on its way to Grandma's. Many children begin to play more with other children at this age, giving them chances to practise taking turns and sharing. A book for this age can have a simple story with a beginning and an end, a problem to solve and someone who says something funny. Being the hero themselves can help your child feel brave enough to follow along when things get a little exciting.

Would you like to see a finished book before you decide? Browse our example books.

Themes for a three-year-old

A fire engine, complete with ladder, helmet and siren, is hard to beat. In fire brigade, your child gets to race to the rescue and help a cat down from a tree. If your family is expecting a baby, try becoming a big brother or sister: a story about being bigger, helping out and still having a place on your lap. It can make the change feel a little more familiar before the baby comes home and give you words to talk about it together.

Choose a theme

What makes your three-year-old's book personal

Start with what your child loves playing right now. Is it dinosaurs, trains or Mum's old hat? Tell us, and mention a phrase your child often uses too: it could become a line in the story. Choose who comes along: a little brother, Dad, the dog or the one-eared rabbit. The message comes through in what happens, so friendship might mean helping a friend, and honesty might mean telling the truth about a broken cup. You might not read the foreword aloud just yet, but your child can look for it when they're older. Write about the things that make you laugh together, or let us write a first draft for you.

When to read the book

At three, a book often becomes a familiar part of the bedtime routine. Your child may want the same story again and again, and soon correct you if you get a word wrong. Try different voices for the characters and let your child answer the questions in the story. Take your time, so they can look at every picture. The book makes a lovely third birthday present, or a gift before something new, such as moving to a new room at nursery. If your child wants to show Grandma, you can email her the eBook. The colouring pages turn the book's pictures into line drawings, so your child can colour their own story and hang it on the fridge.

Remind me before the birthday

Not quite yet? We e-mail you two to three weeks before the child's birthday, in time for a printed book. Once a year, nothing else.

You turn the reminder on in the e-mail we send. We keep only the address and the date, see the privacy policy.

Questions about books for 3 years

Yes. The text has two to four short sentences per page, with some dialogue. If your child isn't used to books yet, you can shorten the text afterwards.

No. The excitement is gentle, and the story always has a reassuring ending.

Yes. Choose the big brother or sister theme and tell us about your family, and the story will be written around them.

Yes. The colouring pages are black-and-white line drawings of the book's pictures. You can print them or order them as a printed colouring book.

Yes. You can change all the text afterwards and request changes to the pictures.