A personalised book about starting school

Starting school is one of the first big changes a child understands they are going through. There are new grown-ups, new rules, a dinner hall, playtimes and perhaps a class where they don't know anyone. Lots of children are excited and worried at the same time, sometimes on the very same evening. A book in which your child has already got through the first day – hung up their coat on the peg, found their place, eaten lunch off a tray – makes the unknown a little more familiar. It also gives you something to talk about calmly before the big day arrives.

A starting-school book can follow the day in the order it usually goes. Your child hangs up their coat, finds their seat and says their name in a circle. There's a game with numbers or letters, and then playtime, when your child plucks up the courage to ask someone by the climbing frame if they want to play. Lunch in the dinner hall can be a little adventure of its own, with a tray, a knife and fork and a big pot of potatoes. The day can end at after-school club, or with someone at the gate asking how it went.

Most of what happens on a first day at school is ordinary. That's exactly why it helps to have seen it beforehand, with yourself in the starring role.

The more the book resembles the real day, the more it can do. Write in the name of the school and the teacher's name, if you know it, and the way there – past the corner shop, over the bridge, along the cycle path. If a friend from nursery is starting at the same time, they can come along in the story. If your child has an older brother or sister at the same school, they make a natural guide. If something is a worry, like the big playground or the dinner hall, it can have a page of its own where it all goes well.

The topic works for several ages. The same calm approach suits a two-year-old about to start nursery. Four- and five-year-olds who will soon start school get a clear, reassuring day. At 6–9 the book gets dialogue and a small challenge, like finding the way back to the classroom after playtime. Older children may be changing schools or joining a new class, and then the book can hold more thoughts and feelings.

Walk the route to school together one day before term starts and look out for things you've seen in the book. Ask your child what they think will happen first, and what they're looking forward to most. There's more about that very first day in the idea First Day at School.

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