How it works
From a photo to a hardcover book.
Here's exactly what happens between telling us about your child and holding their book.
How it works
Three steps to their story.
It takes a few minutes. The book lasts a lot longer than that.
01
Tell Us About Your Child
Upload a photo and tell us about their personality, interests, and favourite things.
02
We Create Their Story
We create a personalized hero and an imaginative story built around them.
03
Receive Their Book
A beautiful personalized hardcover storybook arrives ready to keep or gift.
Character creation
They stay themselves, all the way through.
We turn your child's photograph into an illustrated storybook character — and keep that character consistent on every single page. Same face, same hair, same smile, page after page.
- A character drawn from their photo
- The same hero on every spread
- Family and pets can join them
The details
- 1
What we ask for
Their name, age, a photo, and the things they love. It takes a few minutes and you can change any of it before ordering.
- 2
How the character is made
We create an illustrated storybook version of your child from the photo you upload, and keep that character consistent across every page of the book.
- 3
How the story is written
Your child is the protagonist, not a name dropped into a template. The adventure you choose, the things they love, and the people you add all shape what happens.
- 4
A person checks it before it's printed
Before your book is printed or sent, someone at Hekaya reads every page and looks at every illustration. Nothing leaves us until it's right.
- 5
Printing and binding
Your book is printed in full colour and bound as a hardcover, then packed gift-ready and shipped to you.
Common questions
What do you need from me?
Your child's name and age, a clear photo of them, and a few of their favourite things. The whole thing takes a few minutes.
What kind of photo works best?
A clear, front-facing photo in good light — a school photo is ideal. Sunglasses, hats and heavy shadows make it harder to draw a character that really looks like them.
Will the character actually look like my child?
We create an illustrated storybook version of your child based on the photo, keeping their hair, skin tone and features recognisable. It's an illustration, not a photograph — but they should look at it and see themselves.
Does the character stay the same through the book?
Yes. Character consistency is the thing we're strictest about. The same face, hair and features appear on every page.
Can I add family members or a pet?
Yes — you can add supporting characters such as a parent, sibling, grandparent, friend or pet, with photos where you'd like them illustrated too.