A book from Grandma and Grandad

Grandparents are often looking for a gift that is more than yet another toy. Something that lasts, and that says something about the bond with their grandchild. A book in which they share the lead role does exactly that.

Why it works so well

A grandchild knows their grandparents in a particular way: the biscuit tin, the usual spot on the sofa, the walk to feed the ducks. When those things appear in a story, a child recognises them at once. The book is not about "a grandad", but about their grandad.

And it works both ways. Grandparents often say they pick the book up again and again themselves. It is a story about their grandchild, but also about how their grandchild sees them.

What to put in it

You don't need to know much to begin. A name, an age and a few small things are enough. Think of:

• What you do together. Fishing, jigsaws, the vegetable patch, stories at bedtime.
• A place. Your house, the campsite, the woods behind the shed.
• Something that is only yours. A joke, a song, a game with its own rules.

With a photo of your grandchild and of yourself, Mira, our digital storyteller, draws you both from life. So you appear on every page, recognisable and together.

Without the parents noticing

Want it to be a surprise? You can. You make the story entirely yourself, and you don't need an account or any details from the parents. Not sure about something, like the favourite toy or animal? A quick message to Mum or Dad ("what is she into at the moment?") rarely gives anything away.

You see Mira's idea and the first pages before anything is made. Only when you approve the story does it go to the printer.

For which moment?

A personal book suits many occasions:

• A birthday, as a present that still comes off the shelf a year later.
• A sleepover, as a book that stays at your house, for bedtime.
• A new grandson or granddaughter, as a first book with the whole family in it.
• Just because, when you want to give something that shows how well you know your grandchild.

The page on grandparents tells you more about what can go into such a story. For a birthday, have a look at birthdays too.

More than one grandchild?

Making stories for several grandchildren? You can put them in one order and check out once.

The best gift a grandparent can give is time. A book about the two of you is time you can read again.