Do personalized storybooks help kids? What the research shows
Do personalized storybooks help kids? What the research shows
Two small studies found young children smiled more with personalized books and learned new words from them more easily. What the research shows, what it doesn't, and where a book from a child's drawing fits.
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Probably, in a modest way. Two small studies found that toddlers smiled and laughed more while reading a personalized book with a parent, and preschoolers learned new words better from personalized pages. The samples were tiny (7 families in one, 18 children in the other), and no study has tested books built from a child's drawing. A personalized book is a good reason to read together. It isn't a reading program.
What the research shows
The best-known studies come from the education researcher Natalia Kucirkova and her colleagues. Two are worth knowing.
Engagement. Kucirkova, Messer and Whitelock (Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, published online 2012) filmed seven parents reading at home with their children, aged 12 to 33 months. Each pair read a book made for that child, a comparable book with nothing personal in it, and the child's favorite book. Children and parents smiled and laughed significantly more with the personalized book than with the comparable one.
New words. Kucirkova, Messer and Sheehy (First Language, 2014) read 18 preschoolers (average age 3 years 10 months) a picture book with personalized and non-personalized sections, each containing unfamiliar words. The book was read twice, a week apart. At the later tests, the children knew the words from the personalized sections significantly better.
What the research doesn't show
- That the effect is large or lasting. Both studies are small and short. Treat them as encouraging, not as proof.
- That personalized books make kids better readers. Neither study measured reading ability. A personalized book won't teach phonics or turn a child who dislikes books into a reader.
- Anything about drawing-based books. Both studies used books written around the child. Nobody has studied books built from a child's own drawing.
Where a book from a child's drawing fits
This part is our view, not research. In a name-based book, the personal part is the child's name in someone else's story. In a book made from a drawing, the personal part is the main character itself: something the child invented, drew, and probably named. If personal content is what makes young children lean in, a character they made themselves is about as personal as content gets.
With DoodleTale, you upload a photo of the drawing and see the character, the full story, and the cover for free, with no account needed to start. The printed 8x8" softcover is $29.99 with free shipping to the US and Canada, or $9.99 for the digital PDF. It's written for ages 3 to 8.
Related: Are personalized children's books worth the money? Honest answer by book type
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