A book for siblings: two or more kids in one story
3/11/2026
A personalized book for siblings where every child has a role. How to split the story so nobody feels left out, and when to give each a book.
One personalized book has room for several children and a pet, and each character is created from its own photo. To make the book work for everyone, give each sibling their own task or skill in the story, not just a spot next to the main hero. When there's a big age gap or strong rivalry between the kids, it's usually better to give each of them their own book.
How many kids fit in one book and what you need
One book has room for several children and a pet. They can be siblings, cousins, a best friend, and even the dog or the cat. You need a separate photo for each character. A group shot of the kids squeezed together on the sofa won't do, because faces are hard to recognise in it.
For each character you enter a name and an age. It pays to fill in the age carefully: it helps the characters in the book match the real children, so a four-year-old sister doesn't look like the same age as her ten-year-old brother.
The book is a one-time purchase, no subscription. The digital book costs NZ$14.99 and the printed one NZ$69.99.
How to split the roles so nobody feels jealous
- Everyone has their own skillOne can read the map, another isn't afraid of the dark, the youngest spots what the others miss. When every child solves something in the story, nobody is just there to make up the numbers.
- Don't repeat the labels they hear at homeThe older one as the sensible one and the younger one as the troublemaker: kids hear that often enough. In the book, feel free to swap the roles. Parenting experts advise not comparing siblings and noticing each child's strengths separately, and a book is the perfect place for that.
- One main hero, or a whole crewDecide whether the book is mainly about one child, say for a birthday, with the siblings helping out, or whether it's a shared adventure for the whole crew. Both work, just say so up front so the birthday child doesn't feel pushed aside.
- The littlest sibling belongs in the crew tooA baby can't talk or walk yet, but can still have a moment in the story. Maybe the baby is the one whose laugh scares the ghost away. Write it into your own plot idea.
- The pet as a full member of the teamA dog following a trail in the story makes kids really happy. The pet needs its own photo too, ideally from the front and in good light.
How to put together a book for siblings
- 1Take a separate photo of each childA sharp face from the front, in daylight, each child in their own photo. Same for the pet.
- 2Pick a world everyone enjoysIf one loves outer space and the other loves horses, look for a world where the two meet, or write your own idea, like a trip to a planet where everyone rides horses.
- 3Describe what each one can doWrite a few words about each child in your plot idea. The more specific, the more of it shows in the story: who builds with LEGO, who sings, who's scared of spiders.
- 4Write a dedication for all of themThe dedication can speak to all the children at once, or give each one a sentence. You'll find examples below and more in the article book dedications.
- 5Read the finished book and balance the rolesGo through the whole story and check whether every child gets their moment. Where someone barely appears, edit the text. You can edit the texts at any time, and 3 new versions of the illustrations are free.
Dedications for siblings to copy
One shared book, or a book for each
| One book for everyone | A book for each child | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | digital NZ$14.99, printed NZ$69.99, delivery NZ$12.99 | digital NZ$14.99 or printed NZ$69.99 for each book separately |
| What it's about | a shared adventure, the kids learn to work together | each child is the one and only main hero |
| When it fits | similar age, shared interests, Christmas | big age gap, one child's birthday, strong rivalry |
| The risk | arguing over whose book it really is | comparing whose story is better |
| A few years on | a memory of what they looked like together | everyone has their own book for their own shelf |
When to give each child their own book
There's a world of difference between a three-year-old and a twelve-year-old. The younger one wants a short story with big pictures, the older one will be bored by it. And when the kids are competing hard for attention, a shared book can fuel the fight rather than calm it.
In that case, give each child their own book and add the siblings as supporting characters. Every child gets their own story and the others are still in it. It also works well for a gift from grandparents who want to treat a granddaughter and a grandson equally, but each in their own way.