The search for a personalized big brother book almost always starts with a worry, not a gift idea: a new baby is coming and you can already see the older child working out what it means for him.
The book that helps is not one about the baby. It is one about him — his week, his house, his dog — in which a baby happens to arrive. Here is how to make it his, and a real book with a sibling drawn in.
Why does making the older child the hero matter?#
Because the fear under the question "what about me?" is I am about to become a supporting character. A book that answers with "you'll be such a good helper!" confirms it — helper is a supporting role.
A book where he is the hero and the baby is the event does the opposite. He is still the one the story is about. The baby is a thing that happens in his story, the way a first snow happens. That is a role he can hold.
| Book about the baby | Book about him |
|---|---|
| "A new baby is coming to your house" | "Theo knows exactly which stair creaks and he skips it so the baby stays asleep" |
| "You are going to be a big brother!" | "Theo is the only person the dog will sit for, and he shows the baby how" |
| "You must be gentle and kind" | "Theo brought his blanket to the hospital, put it on her, and then took it back" |
Same facts. The right-hand column is a story about a boy who is already competent; the left is a set of instructions.
What should I write in the story box?#
Two lines. One thing he already does — a real thing, from this week — that a big brother does. Not a virtue; a fact.
Some that produced strong books:
- "She knows the words to the lullaby and sings the last line louder than us."
- "He checks the cot every morning to see if the baby has arrived yet."
- "He has decided the baby will be called Rocket, and calls it Rocket."
- "She has practised holding the cat and the cat has opinions about it."
If the baby has a name, use it; if not, the book can wait for one, or he can name it. If you want the wider principle — why the small specific thing beats the announcement — what makes a good children's story explains it.
Who is drawn, and from what?#
- The older child — the hero — from one photo. Daylight, face visible. The photo becomes a painted character and is never stored.
- The baby, if it is not born yet, from a sentence ("a small baby in a yellow blanket") or from a scan photo; if the baby is home, from a photo. Newborns are drawn newborn-sized.
- A parent, from a photo — the person who will read it. Up to three companions join the hero, so the dog can be there too.
Is there a finished big brother book for when the baby has grown?#
The story you write yourself is the one for the weeks around the birth. For later — when the baby is walking, talking and suddenly a rival — the shop has a finished book about two brothers: The Two Princes of Christmas. The King and Queen are away till midnight, one prince is the ELDEST and the other the CLEVEREST, so they cut the palace in half with a crimson ribbon — until they find the one Crown Star only two brothers together can reach.
The sample below stars Arlo, who is six, and his little brother Jasper. It opens with the argument every family with two boys knows by heart: "'I'm the ELDEST,' said Arlo, 'so I am in charge.' 'I'm the CLEVEREST,' said Jasper, 'so I am in charge.' They said it again. Louder." For your copy you add a photo and name for each of your boys, and every page is painted with them. Read it below, or open the personalized sibling book to make it yours.
A book from our shop · ages 3–7
The Two Princes of Christmas
The King and Queen are away till midnight, one prince is the ELDEST and the other the CLEVEREST — so they cut the palace in half with a crimson ribbon. A tree stuck in the door, a thousand candles blown out, a peacock stealing baubles… and one Crown Star only two brothers together can reach.
Shown here starring Arlo, 6. Yours is painted with your own child’s face and name on every page, from $39 — and you see the pages before you pay.
The photo they uploaded
The character we drew
Written from this story — not a stock track with a name dropped in. Free with every book.
How the story begins
- 1On Christmas Eve, the King and Queen rode away to the Winter Council. “We shall be back by MIDNIGHT,” they said. That left the Winter Palace, and Christmas, to two princes and one peacock.
- 2“I'm the ELDEST,” said Arlo, “so I am in charge.” “I'm the CLEVEREST,” said Jasper, “so I am in charge.” They said it again. Louder.
- 3So they fetched the longest ribbon in the wrapping room, and cut the palace in HALF. The left for Arlo. The right for Jasper. Each would make Christmas his own way. Marquis did not care about ribbons.
The rest of the story is in The Two Princes of Christmas.
The words to the song
[Verse 1] The King and Queen have gone away, "Be back by midnight!" — that's what they say. Two little princes, one big hall, and a peacock who doesn't care at all. [Chorus] "I'm the eldest!" "I'm the cleverest!" "I'm in charge!" "No, I'M in charge!" Cut the palace with a ribbon in two — one side for me, and one side for you! [Verse 2] Arlo picked a tree as tall as the sky — it stuck in the door, oh my, oh my! Jasper built a tree out of candlesticks — it leaned and it leaned... that's the trouble with tricks. [Verse 3] A thousand candles — whoosh! — blown out, a thousand mirrors — but he can't reach about. Eleven o'clock and nothing is done, two tired princes, and Christmas for none. [Chorus] "I'm the eldest." "I'm the cleverest." "We're BROTHERS!" — and that was that. Untie the ribbon, let it fall to the floor — one Christmas for two, and one palace, not four! [Outro] Through the window, up the ladder, star on top at last, the doors swing open — midnight — just in time, not past! And on the Royal Orders, in two hands, one line: "Number five: do it TOGETHER." Merry Christmas — it's fine!
When should I give it — before or after the baby?#
Both, and the order matters.
| When | Why |
|---|---|
| 2–4 weeks before the due date | So the book is his before the baby is anyone's. He gets to be the hero of a book while he still has you to himself. |
| The first week home | Read it again. The story that was about a baby arriving is now true, and he wrote it. That second reading is the one that lands. |
| The first hard week — around week three, when the visitors stop | The book still works, and it is his to reach for. |
This matches the American Academy of Pediatrics' advice on preparing your family for a new baby: read books about newborns and siblings together, find natural chances to talk about the baby, and be honest that babies cry and take a lot of time. A book with him in it is a natural chance.
Order the printed copy three weeks before the due date; checkout shows a real delivery estimate for your address. If the baby comes early, the digital book is ready in about twenty minutes and can be read on a phone in the hospital.
How do I make one?#
On KindFable:
- His name and age. The story is written for the age — a big brother at two and a big brother at six get very different books.
- His photo. He is the hero.
- Companions — the baby (from a sentence or a photo), a parent, the dog.
- The story box — the two lines from above. Say what he does.
- An art style — warm 3D reads well for a book he will point at himself in; classic storybook if it is a keepsake first.
- The cover appears, free. softcover or hardcover — current prices are on the pricing page, and the hardcover ships free. Digital book and a song with both; the hardcover adds a narrated audiobook.
The dedication page is where the "for Theo, who was here first" goes.
Big sister, twins, a third child?#
- Big sister — identical. Make her the hero; the baby is the event.
- Twins arriving — she is the hero, and two babies happen. Companions cover it.
- The older child is a twin — a personalized book for twins covers the one-book-or-two question honestly.
- A third child — the middle child is the one to worry about; make them the hero this time.
For the wider picture — what changes for a family with a new baby, and which books to read alongside — a new sibling book and books about feelings for toddlers go further. Once the two of them are old enough to squabble, the AAP's guidance on building strong sibling bonds — family time, one-on-one time with each child, and letting them settle small conflicts themselves — is the practical companion to a book like the one above.
Frequently asked questions#
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Is two too young? No, if the book is written for two — short lines, a refrain, big pictures. The age you enter shapes the text. At two the fact that it is him on the page is the whole gift.
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Should the baby's name be in it? If you have it, yes. If not, the older child can name the baby in the book — several families have kept the working name on the dedication page as a joke for later.
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Can grandparents give this instead of us? Yes, and it is a good grandparent gift precisely because it is about the older child, who is otherwise about to be forgotten by visitors. A personalized book from grandparents has the how.
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Can I get a copy for each house? An extra softcover copy of a book you own is half price, from your library.
He was here first. Start with his photo and see him on the cover before you decide.
