A personalised book about gnomes

Gnomes are little folk who live close to people. In the old tales they live under the floorboards, in the barn or inside an old tree, and keep an eye on things to make sure everything is done properly. That makes them both exciting and comforting for a child: someone small and secret is right there, just out of sight. In a book about gnomes, your child gets to be the one who discovers them, and the one they decide to trust. It becomes a story packed with tiny details to point at – ladders made of matchsticks, hats made of thimbles, a kitchen inside a tree root.

A book about gnomes can take your child down under the floor to see where all the lost socks end up, help a gnome family move house when their barn is about to be pulled down, or guard the hens one night while the fox prowls about. Perhaps the gnomes need someone big enough to lift a saucepan, and your child gets to join them as they cook over a candle flame. Gnomes have their rules, and part of the thrill is learning them. A gnome might also have lost his hat, and without it he can suddenly be seen by everyone in the house.

Gnomes live where people live, so the book works best when it looks like your home. Tell us about the loft, the cellar or the shed where nobody quite knows what is in there, about the cat that stares into one particular corner, about things that keep going missing. If you have a holiday cottage, a grandad with an old barn or an apple tree in the garden, the gnomes can live right there. Every detail you add can become a clue.

The youngest listeners love hunting for the little door in every picture. Slightly older children want to know what gnomes eat and where they sleep. School-age children enjoy being told a secret and keeping it, and for older ones it adds excitement that the gnomes are not always in a good mood.

In old Scandinavian farm lore, many farms had a gnome of their own. He helped out if he was treated well and could cause all sorts of trouble if he was not. On Christmas Eve families put out a bowl of porridge for him, and many homes still do. Britain had its own version in the brownie, a household helper who was thanked with a bowl of cream. Why not build your own gnome door by a tree root or a skirting board and leave a raisin out in the evening? If you would like a festive gnome, there is more under Christmas. Talk about what a gnome might need help with in your home, and what you would like a hand with yourselves.

You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about gnomes is written for your very own child, and the thirteen pictures and the cover are drawn from the photo in the style you choose. Brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents or the pet can come along, up to five characters. If you would like to include something that has happened lately, a trip or a lost tooth, just write it and it is woven in.

The eBook is ready a few minutes after payment. Read it, change the text and ask for new pictures until you are happy. Then order it as an A4 hardback book, printed and sent to your door, or straight to the child as a gift. Do add the audiobook or the colouring pages. Start creating the book or read more about the prices. Would you like to see a finished book before you decide? Browse our example books.