Last month I told you about Put Me in the Story and how you can create your own personalized book for a child! Luckily, I was given the chance to review one of these books for my niece. My mom and I visited the site and decided on Elmo Loves You as our book of choice. Sorry for the lack of photos, but now our book says Bella, Elmo Loves You! with Made Special for Bella in the bottom left hand corner and Made Special By Grandma Becker in the lower right hand corner. The items in the lower corners are also included on the title page within the book (right side). However, one of the most unique touches is on the left title page—an actual picture of my niece and a personal note that my mom came up with.
My Mom’s Thoughts about the Final Product
*A fun concept
*Loves that you can have a photo of who the book is for in it
*Easy to make
*Good selection of books
*The product arrived fast in the mail
*Illustrations are bright and cheerful
Pros of Put Me in the Story
*Again, I love that you can add a photo to the book. I’ve seen many personalized books for kids and this is by far my favorite, and the photo is one big reason why.
*You can tour every single book, allowing you to see where your photo would be placed, where your child’s name would appear, and of course…it gives you a chance to find the right book for your special little one!
*Free shipping is included on every standard order (Each book is $32.99)
*There are currently eight picture books to choose from—and they state that more are to come
*All of these books are actual titles you could find in stores; they are just changed to include your child’s name. Other personalized book places have their own stories they personalize, but that is not the case here!
Cons of Put Me in the Story
*My one and only con about Put Me in the Story is simply that you are limited on the characters for Made Special By. We went with just Grandma Becker, because Grandma and Grandpa Becker wouldn’t fit (and we need the last name because my niece has a few sets of grandparents). This is obviously not going to be the case for every child, so for the most part, you’re given enough room. However, I thought I’d mention it in case you have a long name for Made Special By. It may or may not fit!
The Rest of My Experience
I have to commend a company that really cares about their customers and making sure their product is made well. When I uploaded the picture of my niece, I didn’t move the box to “crop” it as it seemed to be around the area I wanted. However, I went to the next page and the photo only showed the sky, not my niece. I went ahead and ordered, because I thought it would be fine. Silly me, it wasn’t! I got an email from the company showing me the photo and asking if that was what I wanted, since it was obviously not a photo of a child. Since I realized it really didn’t fix itself, I went through the process again of making the book. This time, I moved the box around my niece’s photo, to show that I was “cropping” and when I went to the next page, there she was! I am very happy with the photo, and like I said, it makes this one of my favorite personalized books.
I am more than satisifed with my final product and I would certainly purchase more books from them…perhaps when my nephew is a bit older!
Who would you buy a book for, and what title looks good to you?
While I think this is a lovely idea, I am having a hard time with the price tag especially since it is an Elmo book and that the child will outgrow it. I think I would like something a bit more mature that my kids will continue to read for several years.
This is really cute, but it's my same problem with every personalized book: price.
Oh, my nephews would love this! 🙂
What a great idea though it does sound like it can be pretty limiting.
This is a lovely idea. It would be great to see your photograph in a book. 🙂 Thanks for sharing another brilliant product with us!
Such a cute concept. I imagine little kids love it.
What a cute idea!
This is adorable! My son would go crazy for it he loves Elmo!
Say what? This is a pretty awesome idea and I would love to make one for the little people in my life. It's so great that it was easy to make!
Aaah, this post reminds me of my personalized fairytale book when I was a child. It's a Cinderella book with my name in substitute of Cinderella's name LOL. Good memory. 😉
Anyway, thank you for another great product review, Lauren! I think this is a great idea for a gift. I like that the company is very helping as well. 🙂 Thank you for sharing another wonderful product! 🙂
This sounds like a neat and personal gift.
Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog
I think my kids would really like this! I think the price seems high for a book, but since there's free shipping and a photo is included than I may be willing to splurge. Especially when it's a gift. I think it would be especially good for if a grandparent lives far away. It would be a good gift for them to give.
Very cool!
This is such a cute idea – it's a little pricey, but is definitely a nice option for a fun gift. I'm definitely going to remember this for upcoming toddler/preschooler birthdays!