Why the theme Grandparents makes a good book
An adventure that suits the child
At the grandparents' house, different rules often apply. There is a box of old toys, a special cup to drink from, a garden or a balcony of tomato plants, and someone who has time to listen to the whole story. Children notice the difference early on. A book about a day with grandma, grandad or the step-granny who belongs to the family captures those moments and turns them into something to hold. It is perfect when you are missing them, and when the older generation lives far away and you see each other less often than you would like.
Things you only find at theirs
A day with the grandparents can hold small adventures that still feel enormous: baking and getting to lick the bowl, finding grandad's old bike in the garage, hearing what it was like when mum or dad was little, sleeping in a bed that smells different from your own.
The story can also set off on a proper adventure – a box that leads back in time, a photo album where the pictures start to move, a walk to the lake where granny learned to swim. There is a book to start from in the idea A Day at Grandma's.
What do you call them?
Granny, Nana, Gran, Grandpa, Oma, Nonna – lots of families have their own names, and those are the ones your child should recognise in the book. Tell us the names you use and what is typical of yours: grandad's fishing rod, grandma's thousand-piece jigsaw, the cat that always lies under the table.
If your child has more than two sets of grandparents, or one who is no longer alive, the story can hold that too, with whatever warmth you choose. If they live in another country, the book can take your child there, and the journey itself can become part of the day.
Between visits
For the very youngest it becomes a book of recognition: grandma's face, grandad's glasses, the biscuit on the plate. Three- to five-year-olds love the discoveries in the loft and the garden. From six, the story can include a small mystery that your child and a grandparent solve together, while a ten-year-old will want to know what life was like back then, before mobile phones, when the television had only a handful of channels.
If they live far away, you can read the book with them over a video call. Afterwards, ask them to tell your child something from their own childhood that is not in the book. A copy can sit on their shelf too, so their grandchild is there between visits as well.
Your child is the hero
You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about a day with the grandparents 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.
From eBook to hardback book
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.
How the story could begin
The gate squeaks the way it always does when you open it. The geraniums are looking out of the window, and somewhere inside the house a clock strikes with deep chimes. The door opens before you have even had time to knock. “There you are,” says Grandad, lifting you up so your feet dangle. The kitchen smells of cinnamon. Grandma is wearing her apron and has flour on her nose, and she says the biscuits need twelve more minutes. Twelve minutes is a very long time. You climb the narrow stairs to the loft, where it smells of dust and old wood. Behind a pile of folded curtains stands a box you have never seen before. Your name is on the lid. But it is not your handwriting, and the box looks much older than you are.










