A personalised book about pirates

Pirates have no bedtime, sail wherever they like and hunt for gold. For a child who is forever being reminded to put their coat on, that's a tempting thought. Pirate stories also have everything you could wish for: the sea, storms, telescopes, parrots and a captain who has to make the big decisions. When your child stands at the wheel, it's your child who tells the crew what to do. It becomes an adventure about leading, but also about sharing the treasure fairly with the people you sail with.

A pirate book can stay at sea the whole way or go ashore on an unknown island. Your child can steer through a storm, rescue a sailor who has fallen overboard, plug a leak with an enormous pancake or bargain with another captain over who gets to drop anchor in the bay. The treasure at the end doesn't have to be gold. Sometimes it's a chest holding something that matters more. Nights on board have a mood of their own: swaying lanterns, stars to steer by and someone playing the accordion when the sea lies still.

The best bit of a pirate book is choosing the crew. A brother or sister can be first mate, the cat can be ship's cat and Dad can be the slightly absent-minded cook. Write in your child's pirate name if they have one, and perhaps the beach you usually visit, so the island looks familiar. A stripy top or an eye patch from the last birthday party can come along too.

A little pirate aged 0–2 only needs waves, a hat and a cheerful ahoy. A pre-schooler loves following a map from the first page to the X, ideally with a parrot who talks too much. Six-year-olds can handle a crew squabbling over who gets to steer and a captain who has to make peace, while ten-year-olds love it when the map turns out to be a fake and the voyage has to go on. If you'd like a ready-made plot, you can start from The Pirates' Lost Map.

At sea, nobody says left and right. Starboard is right and port is left, when you're standing on board facing forwards towards the bow. The bow is the front of the ship and the stern is the back. Real pirates weren't nice people at all, but the words are still used on every boat today. Afterwards, pretend the sofa is a ship: when the captain shouts starboard, everyone runs to the right.

You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about pirates 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.

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.