$14.99
- 12 illustrated double-page spreads + cover and dedication
- Interactive page-flipping in your browser + downloadable PDF
- Text edits and illustration regeneration included
- Available in 30 languages
- Usually ready within 15 minutes
A made-to-measure book
From Queen Charlotte Sound to Her Own Storybook: A Book for Charlotte
Charlotte is a name with a royal past, a place on the map of Aotearoa and a ready-made nickname in Lottie. Here's what it means, where it comes from and how it sounds when a story is written around the girl who carries it.
CHARLOTTEand the Map of the Misty Valley
Here's how a book for Charlotte could look
Pick a theme, upload a photo, and your child becomes the hero of the story — with their name on the cover and inside.
CHARLOTTEand the Wand of Golden Sparks
CHARLOTTEand the Garden Wall Patrol
CHARLOTTEand the Last-Minute Goal
The covers above are samples — the illustrations were created by artificial intelligence and the children in them aren't real. Your book is made from the photo you upload.
Why a story suits a Charlotte
Charlotte is a name that already sounds like it belongs on a book spine. It has the quiet elegance of a classic novel — Charlotte Brontë signed Jane Eyre with it, and E. B. White gave it to the clever spider who saves Wilbur in Charlotte's Web — so a child who hears it read aloud is joining a long line of characters who were brave, sharp and kind.
In a story the name works in two registers. "Charlotte" carries the weight of the big moments: when she unrolls the map, when she steps onto the wall in her cape, when the narrator needs the reader to hold their breath. "Lottie" is the voice of a friend or a parent calling across the garden, light and quick. Because the book is written around the name rather than pasted onto it, both can appear naturally — the full name where the story turns serious, the nickname where it turns warm.
The two English syllables, SHAR-lut, also land neatly at the end of a sentence, which is exactly where a read-aloud story wants a hero's name: "…and the one who found the way home was Charlotte." For a child who is used to being Lottie at home, hearing the full name spoken like that can feel like being taken seriously.
Meaning, history and a place on the Kiwi map
Charlotte is the French feminine form of Charles, which goes back to the old Germanic word karl, meaning "free man". So at its root the name means something like "free" — a fitting idea for a girl who sets off into her own adventure.
The name arrived in the English-speaking world through royalty. Queen Charlotte, the German-born wife of King George III, made it fashionable in eighteenth-century Britain, and that is how it reached New Zealand long before any baby here was given it: in 1770 James Cook named Queen Charlotte Sound, the waterway known in te reo Māori as Tōtaranui, at the top of the South Island in her honour. Many Kiwi Charlottes have a stretch of sea in Marlborough that shares their name.
Charlotte has also lent itself to the kitchen. A charlotte is a dessert of fruit or cream set inside a wall of bread or sponge fingers — apple charlotte and charlotte russe are the best-known versions — which makes for a fun fact to share with a child who likes baking.
In recent decades the name has made a strong comeback. Charlotte has been one of the most popular girls' names registered in New Zealand for years, helped along by its timeless feel and by Princess Charlotte of Wales, born in 2015. That popularity has a practical side: a Charlotte may share her name with a classmate or two, so a book in which she is unmistakably the hero — her face, her story — gives her something that is hers alone.
Nicknames and ways to say Charlotte
- Charlotte — The full name. Two syllables in English (SHAR-lut), with a softer, longer ending in French. In a story it suits the turning points — the moment of courage, the final page.
- Lottie — The best-loved nickname, taken from the end of the name. Playful and affectionate, it's what many families use day to day, and it works well in dialogue: "Come on, Lottie!"
- Lotte / Lotti — Shorter European spellings of the same nickname, familiar in German and Dutch-speaking families. Handy if there's a grandparent with European roots in the family.
- Charlie — Taken from the start of the name instead. It gives Charlotte a sporty, tomboyish edge — a natural fit for a girl who would rather be on the football pitch than anywhere else.
- Lots / Lotts — A clipped, cheeky family nickname, usually from siblings. Better kept for a line of speech from a brother or sister than for the hero's name on the cover.
- Char — A one-syllable shortening used by friends and teammates, especially as a girl gets older.
How it works
How a book with your child's name comes to life.
Olivia
1
Create your hero and other characters
Upload one photo and it becomes a hero with your child's real likeness. Add up to 5 characters — siblings, friends, even a pet.
- A name, age and one photo
- Their real likeness in the illustrations
- Up to 5 characters: siblings, friends, a pet
2
Build the story and illustration style
Pick a ready-made plot from many worlds, or write your own. Choose the illustration style, the book's language and a dedication — you'll see a title suggestion and a story preview right away.
- Lots of worlds and plots — or write your own
- Choice of illustration style and language
- A personal dedication at the front
- Instant title suggestion and story preview
3
Get an e-book you can fine-tune
Ready within 15 minutes. Flip through the book online, fine-tune the texts, have any illustrations you pick regenerated, then view the e-book.
- Usually ready within 15 minutes
- Interactive page-flipping online
- Edit texts + regenerate illustrations
- Downloadable PDF + optional audiobook
And there's more
Get your book delivered to your door
Love it? Order a printed copy of your finished e-book anytime. We'll print it in full colour as an A4 hardcover and ship it right to your door.
A4 hardcoverOrder anytimeDelivered to your door
Print the book
E-book NZ$14.99 · printed NZ$69.99 + shipping
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Audiobook
+ $5.99- Narrated by a professional voice
- Start it once you've finished editing the book — ready in a few minutes
- Listen right on the website, no downloads
- The printed book includes a QR code page for instant playback
- Add it at checkout or purchase it anytime later
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- Digital, printed, with an audiobook — or any combination
- Discounted bundles of 2, 3 or 5 books
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- Delivered by email right after payment
All prices are final and include GST; shipping is added separately and you'll see it before you place your order. You only order the printed book once your digital book is finished — so you know exactly what you're printing.
Create a book today that they'll never forget.
Your digital book is usually ready within 15 minutes of ordering. The printed A4 hardcover ships straight to your door.
Create a bookReviews
Parents and kids who loved their book.
Over 1,700 books starring their very own hero
My daughters love the book! We read it every evening before bedtime. The story is so sweet and lovingly written, and the pictures are beautiful. My girls feel really special because their own name appears in the book. A great keepsake forever! Absolutely recommend. ❤️
We got the book as a birthday present and it turned out perfectly. The print quality pleasantly surprised me – hardcover, nice paper and illustrations printed in fine detail. The characters are drawn so well that my daughter recognized her sister, me, the giraffe and herself :) She really likes the story and now it’s her favourite book, we read it almost every evening. On top of that, it will remain a lovely keepsake that she’ll come back to even in a few years. I definitely recommend it.
The book was a gift… I’ll find out how happy it makes them… but it’s very beautiful
I have the books ready as a gift, so I’m already looking forward to handing them over
An absolutely stunning book made to order. It's not only a beautiful gift, but a keepsake for a lifetime. Our sons are thrilled. Not only did they find “themselves” in the book, but the whole story also takes place in their favourite place, which is the ice rink. The whole book is accompanied by wonderful pictures, and the dedication from us, the parents, is just the cherry on top. I warmly recommend it. Not only will all the “heroes of the book” be thrilled, but so will you, as soon as you see the book with your own eyes :)
Our daughter was absolutely thrilled, she looked through it several times in a row and declared that it's pretty, she hasn't had enough of it yet and we read it every day before bedtime.
The book is very beautiful, I would have welcomed more pages (for that price), the story is interesting, because my granddaughter loves animals and her cousins, but I have to wait until Christmas for her reaction
I got the book for a birthday and the princess wouldn’t put it down.
The book is very nice. The pictures look very nice, they're not blurry. The book really made us happy.
Very beautiful book, I always have trouble choosing in a bookshop, something bothers me about every one, or I can't find a theme I'd want.. here I can make up anything
A beautiful book that has its own unique magic! ❤️ The story is wonderfully done and the fact that your very own child becomes the main hero is absolutely amazing. My son was thrilled with the book and so was I. 🥰 A great idea, beautiful illustrations and a wonderful keepsake that we will happily come back to. I highly recommend it to all parents who want to make their children happy and give them the feeling that they are the heroes of their own story. ❤️📚
The book is wonderful! Exactly as I had dreamed it and designed it, a beautiful keepsake for my little son ♥️
🦉
FAQ
Questions parents ask.
Popular questions
Yes. You enter the name you want the story to use, so if she only ever answers to Lottie, the book can be written for Lottie. Many parents choose Charlotte for the cover and let characters in the story use the nickname — the story is written around whichever name you give it.