12 Best Personalized Books for Kids

In this book, the main character — choose from a little girl or a little boy, depending on your preference — goes on a special journey collecting the letters that spell out their name, meeting a whole host of fun characters along the way. Our experts love that you can personalize this book with more than the name — you can also choose the character closest to your little one's likeness and add a custom dedication to the front of the book. Overall, parents rave about the story and the accompanying illustrations, but one of our editors warns that the book can get long if you have a child with a particularly letter-filled name.

One of our editors received this beautifully-illustrated children's books as a baby shower gift and said the personalization made it feel extra special. Though customization is limited to the child's name, it's incorporated effortlessly through the story and even appears in some of the illustrations. Reviewers who give the book a collective 4.9 stars on Amazon say their favorite part of the book is how colorful and detailed the illustrations are. They also call attention to how well the book is made — the binding is nice and sturdy and the pages thick and glossy.

This personalized book may not be the one you reach for every night, but one of our editors have it and says her family looks forward to reading the story together each Christmas. It's the same classic you know and love, but this one is ripe with customization options that really make it stand out. You can personalize the story with your kid's name, plus tailor the character to look just like them — gender, skin tone and hair color included. You can also incorporate your child’s hometown, pet type (dog or cat) and name and the names of up to four family members into the story. Gift givers will appreciate the ability to add a dedication page complete with a photo, too.

The quickest way to get a child's attention during story time? Incorporate one of their can't-live-without TV characters. This editor-favorite from Penwizard features Peppa Pig, but the company also makes books with other kid-favorites like Blaze and The Monster Machine, Paw Patrol, Dora The Explorer and more. They're not just fun to look at though — they're great quality books with more customization options than others, since you can customize the character in the story to look just like your kiddo. In fact, you can add up to three custom characters, which is ideal for siblings.

Books have long served as tools to teach older kids about new siblings and their important role as big brother or sister, and in our experience, this personalized version is a great way to speak directly to your little one. The story does a great job celebrating the older child to make them feel special — it even comes with a medal of honor they can proudly wear. If there's any downside, it's that it can't be personalized with the baby's name, too.

Our editors were very impressed with this option from Librio — particularly if you're looking for a more interactive option. Similar to the perennially-popular Where's Waldo, this search and find book encourages toddlers and big kids to find... themselves! Your child will delight in searching through various worldly cities and environments — The Great Barrier Reef, Stonehenge and more — to find a character you've customized to look just like them. You can even leave a secret message for early readers to find. The images are all highly detailed, and even though words are limited, there's no shortage of things to look at and analyze — your kid will find themselves entertained for hours on end.

Another highly engaging search and find option for older toddlers and kids. Parents and other gift givers can personalize the book with the kid's name and likeness. The character will then appear in various scenes throughout the book — your kiddo's job is to find themselves within the pages. For an even more family-friendly activity, opt for the jumbo size, since it's ripe for spreading out in front of more than one person. No matter the size, our experts were impressed by the quality of the book. The binding is sturdy, the pages are glossy, and the included illustrations are fun and engaging.

In this magical garden, fairies spell out your child's name letter by letter. But this fairytale isn't a story about princes and princesses. As the fairies reveal each letter, they describe the true character traits that make someone extra special — intelligence, responsibility, thoughtfulness and more. The book also boasts a fun "fairy glossary," where your child can learn all about 62 different fairies, complete with interesting facts about their flowers and berries. Like other books from I See Me!, this one is beautifully-illustrated with colorful and detailed images, plus has a sturdy binding and thick, glossy pages that hold up with excessive use.

Like other personalized kid's books, this colorful option walks readers through the letters of the child's name. This time, each letter represents a different animal — a rabbit, an owl, an alligator, and elk and so many more. Illustrations are bright and quirky and the rhymes are fun and engaging, says one editor who has this book on their shelf. And for even more fun (and learning possibilities), the end of the book features a large encyclopedia of more than 60 animals. You can even add a personalized dedication page, complete with a photo of the special kid.

A fantastic gift for new parents, this comic book-style personalized book spins all of a parent's everyday tasks, whether mowing the lawn or grilling dinner, into heroic missions. It's customized with both the parent's name and the character that looks most them. You can choose skin color, hair color and accessories like glasses. For even more fun, add in the names of up to five family members. Is it overall a little bit cheesy? Yes, but it's a fun and engaging — and perfect for Father's Day.

For those who want to personalize a book with actual photos of their kiddo, Shutterfly makes a fun option. In this book, the traditional illustration is more of a hybrid — an illustrated body superimposed with a silhouette of your child's head. As the story begins, your little one hops in a little blue and red car and embarks on a cross-country road trip, peeping all of the major landmarks in the U.S. along the way. When they get to their home state, the page is customized to teach them a little bit more about where they live. Reviewers, many of whom are grandparents giving the book to their grandchildren, give the book a collective 4.8 stars and praise it for being a treasure of a keepsake.

Books are a great way to help toddlers better understand complex emotions and feelings. This book tackles the topic of fear and uses drawings of your child to put them directly into the story. Throughout the pages, your little one will discover what fear is, why we feel scared sometimes and how to muster up the courage to overcome it. It's a sweet story complete with quirky and colorful illustrations that'll keep you both turning the pages. But if there's something else your kid is struggling with — maybe frustration or anger — Playstories has a book for that, too.