Confidence personalized storybooks

Turn their drawing into a book where they are the author, not the performer.

They get a real printed storybook starring the character they drew, credited as the person whose drawing made it exist.

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Example books made by the DoodleTale team. Use one as inspiration, or start fresh with your own drawing →

DoodleTale personalized confidence storybook: The Left-Turning Secret, starring Nadia's drawing
Nadia's crayon drawing of a lopsided paper airplane with one wing longer than the other and a small smile on its nose, used as the hero of her DoodleTale storybook

their drawing

Nadia · 6 years old

Adventure

The Left-Turning Secret

In the hallway, Nadia wants one paper airplane flight through the doorway. She trots to the tape line and lifts her paper airplane.

She throws even harder. WHOOSH! The plane swings left faster. It dives past the doorway and flops near a shoe.

Nadia stands still in the hallway and looks at the long wing. Then she points the nose far right of the doorway.

It slips through the doorway. Beyond it her airplane rests inside, and Nadia beams from the hall.

DoodleTale personalized confidence storybook: At the Tide Pool Edge, starring Caspian's drawing
Caspian's marker drawing of a wide orange crab with one enormous claw and one tiny one, used as the hero of his DoodleTale storybook

their drawing

Caspian · 5 years old

Adventure

At the Tide Pool Edge

By the tide pool, a crab watches. He wants to help. He scuttles to the rock pile. Two crabs push together.

He darts closer and reaches out. The others grip first. Sand sprays under busy feet. He slips back, still empty-clawed.

At the edge, he looks at both claws. One is enough, he thinks. He spins around and scuttles back quickly. The heavy rock waits.

Up it goes. The path clears. Back at the tide pool edge, he stands easily. That is fine too.

DoodleTale personalized confidence storybook: Crash, Hush, starring Billie's drawing
Billie's chunky crayon drawing of a leaning tower of four colored blocks with a face on the top one, used as the hero of her DoodleTale storybook

their drawing

Billie · 3 years old

Funny

Crash, Hush

Billie wants a giant block tower. Billie stacks blocks on the rug.

More blocks! Taller now, faster now. KABOOM! Blocks plop on Billie's head.

Blocks scatter under chair legs. Billie freezes, holding one last block.

The tower stays up. Billie blinks. Billie sits by the tall tower.

DoodleTale personalized confidence storybook: The Third Note, starring Emeka's drawing
Emeka's colored pencil drawing of a small brass trumpet with three round buttons and a wide crooked bell, used as the hero of his DoodleTale storybook

their drawing

Emeka · 8 years old

Adventure

The Third Note

In the practice room, Emeka stood by the music stand with his trumpet lifted high. Here, with nobody listening, the piece came easily and filled the small room.

Then Emeka tried again. He pushed out the second note at the same full volume he used when he practiced alone, and the sound leaped farther this time.

Then he understood something he had brought with him all along. In the practice room he never played the piece from the note behind him. He played the note in front of him, one after another.

Afterward, near the side curtain onstage, Emeka stood with his trumpet at his side while the full hall blurred beyond the lights. In the same big room that had startled him, he held himself straighter than before.

The usual personalized book puts a photo of the child on every page, which works beautifully for some children and is an ordeal for others. A child who hates being looked at does not want a bound object whose whole premise is looking at them. So ours are built the other way around: the thing on the cover is the creature they drew, illustrated from their actual lines, and your child is the named lead of the story. That is the difference between being exhibited and being credited, and quiet children feel it immediately. You will see the character, read the full story, and see the cover free in a few minutes. A digital download is $9.99, and a printed softcover is $29.99 with free shipping.

Read: books and gifts for a shy kid →

One drawing, whatever they are working through

Personalized books for the rest of it

The same drawing works for any of these. There are occasion pages too, for when the date is the reason.

Questions, answered

Confidence books from kids drawings, explained

A book does not install confidence. What it can do is give a child a character who is scared and proceeds anyway, which is a more useful model than a character who was never scared. The confidence part happens when the child does the hard thing themselves, and a story makes the shape of that familiar beforehand.

For a shy child a photo book makes them the thing being looked at, and opening it in front of relatives is a specific kind of ordeal. A drawing book puts their work on the cover instead, with them as the named lead inside. A child who will not stand up and perform will absolutely hand you something they made and watch your face while you look at it.

Often, because the book does not judge the drawing. The illustration is built from their actual lines, including the wonky ones, and nothing about the process asks them to improve it. If your child is deep into self-criticism about drawing, the useful part is that something they already made turned into a real printed book without being fixed first.

Ages 3 to 8, across three reading levels: one to two sentences a page for 3 to 4, two to three sentences for 5 to 6, and a paragraph a page for 7 to 8. An independent reader can read their own book alone, which matters for a child who does not want to be read to in front of anyone.

Only to the extent they want to be. Some children pick the character, the story kind and what it wants, and watch the whole thing come together. Others hand over a drawing from six months ago and would rather be surprised. Both work, and neither requires them to perform anything.

No audience required at any point. Three reading levels, ages 3 to 8.

Give them something they made, not something they have to perform.

Upload their drawing today. See the character, story, and cover free in minutes, then print and ship.

Make their story →