Storybooks for Heroes
My kids love storybooks before bed. Until their eyes glaze over, they fidget uncontrollably then roll out the “I’ll be right back, Dad” routine. Urgh, so frustrating. It’s like herding cats. That’s when I have to tell the book we’re reading, I’m sorry. They’re just not that into you. Harsh I know, but it’s better coming from me in person than via a text message. I’m old-school like that. So why do we keep breaking up with these great bedtime stories? The answer is simple; it’s not about ‘them’.
Let’s be honest. Aside from Mumma, the most important people in my kids’ lives is…themselves. I don’t even rate in their Top 4 and there’s only four of us here. Imagine how much more engaging stories would be if the book was totally about them? My kids would love that, it’s their favourite topic. Imagine reading the antics of the story play out with them in the lead role. Eyes wide open, bums in bed eagerly awaiting the turn of the next page. That feeling doesn’t change when you’re in your 40’s either, btw. It’s bedtime euphoria. And the best part is, you no longer have to imagine it.
Story Antics to the Rescue
The brain child of Lara Solomon and Kellie Marks. Story Antics is a parent’s dream come true. With Story Antics you can choose storybooks from their collection and personalise it in 3 simple steps. Choose a story, customise your characters and dedication message, then save, share or buy your book. Their customisation is the key. Not only can you add your own child’s name to any of the characters, but you can also choose variations of what the characters look like. Plus, you can choose whether your characters are boys or girls. One story, a Christmas book called Alfie’s Present, lets you customise up to 9 different characters. So, you can create storybooks that include your kids, your whole family or even their friends.
What Story Did We Choose?
I chose the story, Monster Macarons, about 3 children and their cat who venture into the woods and are given special powers to overcome a pink and white monster. Already, you can imagine how cool this story is for my kids with them as the actual characters. Changing the names is super-easy. Character-wise, you get to choose from 3 set variations. It would be a nice feature to be able to customise them further, such as hair colour, length, etc. Lara and Kellie always welcome feedback on what their customers would like to see included. I wrote my dedication message and previewed our book online. Once I was happy, I clicked on BUY PRINTED BOOK and the job is done. The recommended wait period for printing and shipping is 2 weeks, so keep that in mind if you’re making a book for a specific event like Christmas or birthdays.
Reading With Our Kids
Our book arrived, beautifully packaged in purple wrapping paper and a thank you card. The addition of a couple stickers and a DIY crown were an added bonus to my kids excitement. As predicted, they were pretty thrilled to read a new book. Boy, how their eyes bulged when they then saw that book was totally about them, with super powers. It was so incredibly cute to hear them commenting on their powers as if it really was them as the story unfolded.
When the story ended, they were jumping up and down begging to know how this was possible. I showed them the Story Antics website and we went through the steps again. I created our book as a surprise, without their knowledge. Seeing how excited they were exploring the different books and options on the site, I think I’d prefer to include them in on the decision making process. As it is, they were already picking out which stories they’d like to choose next.
When I asked if they prefer stories about themselves or just regular stories, it was a resounding thumbs-up to themselves. Just as I thought. We’re all heroes in our own heads, but now you can be one in print forever.
Special Offer
As a special thank you, Story Antics is offering a FREE SHIPPING CODE to all our readers. Just enter the coupon code DADFREESHIP in your shopping cart to give you free shipping until the end of December 2019. Just in time for Christmas.
For further savings, take advantage of their reduced price launch special. All books are currently 25% off. Usually priced at $39.99 but for the month of November 2019, you can get yours for just $29.99.
You can like or follow Story Antics on Facebook and Instagram. If you share your own stories or reactions, use the hashtags #kidslit and #personalisedstorybook.
It takes but ten minutes to be a hero to your own kids by making them heroes of their own bedtime stories. The storybooks will be a highlight of their childhood and their reactions will stay with you a lifetime.
Read on, McDuff.
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