The Best Personalized Children's Books for 2-4 Year Olds

Personalized books are a joy for any child - the excitement of seeing themselves in a book cannot be understated. Personalized children’s books are also a great way for representation. When children see someone that looks like them in books and on TV, it boosts their own confidence. Toddlers are also easily distracted, but seeing their name and avatar will keep them engaged and focused on the story in front of them! Not for nothing do we believe that every parent should strive to “make your child the hero” (ahem, it’s our tagline here at Manimal Tales).

Emille Buchwald, a writer once said, “Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.” - so why not start them young? We’ve made a list of eight personalized books that are great for young children, from about the age of two to four. 

1. Mr Men: ‘You’ and the Silly Birthday by Roger Hargreaves

This book by Roger Hargreaves has all the classic Mr. Men characters in a story that features your child and their birthday. You can personalize the character by choosing hair color and type, skin color, color of the clothes and enter in the child’s name. The story even allows for a friend’s name to be added to the book. This book is perfect for toddlers. The story revolves around a special someones’ birthday, and you find out at the end of the book who’s birthday it is! 

Available at Farshore.co.uk

2. ABC for You by Wonderbly

If you’ve ever wondered how to teach your toddler the alphabet, worry no more. This book from Wonderbly is the perfect way to do it! Every page features your child, and an object, character or animal with every letter of the alphabet. You can choose from about 6 different avatars that have different hair and skin color. The book is easy for a small child to read, and the illustrations are exciting and will keep your kid entertained (for a while at least!).

Available at Wonderbly

3. Be Brave Little One by Marianne Richmond

Be Brave Little One is a parents’ wish for their child to be brave for all the things that life may bring them. Honestly, the book is a really good reminder for adults as well - to be brave and to be themselves. There are not a lot of options for personalization though - the character in the book can’t really be changed. However, you can add two photographs of your child that appear in the beginning and the end of the book. You can also add your child’s name, which will appear in several places throughout the story. You can also customize a dedication that appears at the beginning of the book. 

Available at putmeinthestory.com

4. Your First Book of Animal Rhymes by Sandra Magsamen

This book of animal rhymes includes classics like The Three Little Pigs, Baa Baa Black Sheep and more. The twist is that your child’s name will appear in every rhyme, making this very engaging for toddlers. There’s no other way to personalize the book, except to add a custom dedication and a photo of the child that appears in the beginning of the book. 

Available at putmeinthestory.com

5. The Grumpopotamus by Sue Donhym

The Grumpopotamus is the story of how your child and Anonymouse (a brave little mouse) un-grump the Grumpopotamus - a truly terribly grumpy hippo who makes everyone around him grumpy and mean as well. The Grumpopotamus is a personalized book with a lot of heart, and has great lessons for kids. You can personalize the book from eight different avatars with different skin and hair color. You can also put in your child’s name, as well as a custom dedication.  

Available at ManimalTales.com

6. The Magic of My Name by My Magic Story

The Magic of My Name takes your child through a wonderful adventure through which they learn the meaning of their name. The book has beautiful illustrations, but is reminiscent of ‘A boy/girl who lost his/her name’ by Wonderbly. The child meets several characters on their adventure that tell them the meaning of each letter in their name. The book can be personalized in one of 20 different languages, and you can pick from 6 different avatars for your child - all with different combinations of hair and skin color. 

Available at mymagicstory.com

7. Hello World! It's Me! By Jennifer Dewing

This personalized children’s book is written from the perspective of a baby who is announcing his/her arrival to the world. The baby tells us about all the wonderful things they can see, and how they’re excited to be in the world. The book can be personalized with your child’s name. You can even choose between a blue or pink cover for the book and add in a photograph as well. 

Available at iseeme.com

8. The Adventures of <Name> and His/Her Magic Name by Andrew Buck

This book by Andrew Buck has your child on an adventure, helping a wizard and some friends at the circus. Your child hands out the letters that spell their name to help a big crew of animals and other friends that need their help! There are no options to personalize the character in the book, but there is a space to put in a custom dedication, and of course, add in the child’s name. 

Available at mymagicname.com

9. Your Baby’s Story by Sue Donhym

Your Baby’s Story is a sweet story of how your baby came to be! The story starts out with two parents trying to figure out what’s missing in their life, until they realize - it’s time for a baby. You can customize the mom, dad as well as the baby’s skin and hair colour by choosing from 5 different options for each of those elements. You can also add a custom dedication. What’s more, we just came out with a sibling version as well - for the birth of the second child. Your Baby’s Story makes for a great gift for new parents, or for a baby shower. 

Available at ManimalTales.com

Are there any personalized books for 2-4 year olds that we’ve missed out on? Let us know in the comments!