Your free preview
Did you know? Babies know the sound of their own name from about five months old. Long before they can say it, they turn their head when they hear it.
Around 18 months, something clicks. In the classic mirror test, most children touch the mark on their own nose between 18 and 24 months. They know: that is me.
By about two, children point at a photo of themselves and say "me". Seeing their own face in a story meets them right at that moment.
Children learn more words from a book that is about them. Preschoolers learned the words in the personalised pages better than the same words elsewhere in the book.
Parents and children reading a personalised book smiled and laughed more, and the children spoke more, than with the child's own favourite book.
"Again!" is not a habit, it is learning. Children pick up new words better when the same book is read again and again than from many different books.
Reading aloud from six months old is linked to a bigger vocabulary and stronger early reading skills four years later.
Grandparents are the second biggest buyers of children's books at Christmas. Only parents buy more.
Grandparents in the Netherlands put aside around 100 euros for each grandchild at Sinterklaas. One Dot & Moon book is about a third of that.
The words grandparents use most about a book like this: beautiful, special, keepsake, and for years to come.
Toys get tossed, stored or given away. A book with their own face in it gets asked for at bedtime.
Sign the first page the way they call you: Nana, Grandad, Oma. Both names fit, and a real person checks the spelling before it prints.
Drawing your child into the story. This takes about a minute.
Demo: placeholder pages until the real preview is live.
The rest of the story unlocks when you order.
- A real person checks every book before it prints
- We remake it free if it doesn't look like them
- Free shipping from €89
Choose your book
Look inside the full book
Every page of the sample book, as it is printed. Swipe to turn the pages, tap to read.
In your book, your child is on every page, with their own name.
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A magical gift
The story made our little one feel like the star. Beautiful quality and a treasured keepsake.
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So special and personal
A thoughtful present that brought the biggest smile. The illustrations are lovely.
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Wonderful bedtime story
Our daughter asks to read her own story every night. Such a lovely book.
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Beautifully made
From the cover to the story, every detail feels special. It arrived beautifully presented.
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A keepsake to treasure
Personal, charming and easy to order. We will be gifting these books again.
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Perfect birthday surprise
The personal touches made this present unforgettable for our child.
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A lovely experience
Easy to personalise and even more beautiful in person. Highly recommended.
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Loved by the whole family
A sweet, imaginative story that our whole family enjoys reading together.
Rated 4.8 out of 5 based on 2,481+ reviews. Showing our 5-star reviews.
Good questions
How does it work?
- Tell us their first name, boy or girl, and how old they are.
- Add one photo. Face clearly visible, in good light.
- See the free preview with their real face in the story, in about a minute, and pick softcover or hardcover.
- Write the dedication for the first page and sign it the way they call you.
- Add anything extra, then pay.
About five minutes. You can go back a step at any time, and nothing is lost if you do.
My child wears glasses. Will they be in the book?
Yes, and not only glasses. A hijab, a hearing aid, an earring, a hairband, the little knot their mum ties in the morning: all of it is part of how a child looks and who they are, so all of it stays. We draw the face from your photo, and if anything is missing we draw it again, free, until it is really them.
Is the story any good?
Yes, and not by accident. Every story is written in rhyme by our own writers and built on what reading research shows works for ages 2 to 6: a steady beat, one new word a page, and a wobbly moment that ends well. Each book is checked by people who work with little ones before it goes to print. See how we make them.
Is the preview really free?
Yes. You see your child in the first pages of the book before you pay anything.
What kind of photo works best?
One child, face clearly visible, in good light. A recent photo looking at the camera works best.
What happens to my child's photo?
We only use it to make your book, never share it, and delete it automatically after delivery.
How long does delivery take?
Printed in your own region, so no customs and no waiting on a boat. Most books arrive within 10 days. Gift dates and cut-offs are on our delivery page.
Can I change something after ordering?
Yes. When the full book is ready, we email you a link to see every page. You then have 24 hours to change a name, a spelling or the dedication: just reply to that email.
Softcover or hardcover: what's the difference?
Both are square, 20 by 20 cm (8 by 8 inches), with 30 pages inside on thick matte paper. The softcover has a flexible cover; the hardcover has a stiff cover that lasts through years of bedtime reading.
Can I choose the language?
Yes. Pick English (US), English (UK) or Dutch in the first step. The whole book is in that language.
Is this a real company?
Yes. Dot & Moon is a small team in the Netherlands. Email us at the address in the footer and a person replies the same working day. Nothing prints until you have seen the preview and said yes.