$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
Theodore means "gift of God" — and he gave the teddy bear its name
From the Greek Theodoros to the bear on his pillow, Theodore is a name with a story already built in. Here is where it comes from, how families shorten it, and how it sits on the cover of a personalised book where he is the hero.
THEODOREand the Quiet Planet Beyond the Stars
Here's how a book for Theodore 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.
THEODOREand the Fawn at the Forest's Edge
THEODOREand the Paper Glider That Wouldn't Land
THEODOREand the Night of the Golden Sparks
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 Theodore works so well on a cover
Theodore is a long, rolling name — four syllables, THEE-uh-dor — and that is exactly what makes it look good across the front of a book. It has the weight of a proper title, the kind of name that sounds like it belongs to an explorer, an inventor or a young wizard, yet it softens the moment someone at home says it aloud. Most Theodores spend their days as Theo or Teddy, and a story is one of the rare places where the full name gets its moment.
Inside the book, the story is written directly in English rather than translated, so Theodore is used the way a New Zealand family would actually use it: the full name when the narrator sets the scene or a moment turns serious, and the shorter, warmer form when a friend calls out across a meadow or a starfield. If your boy answers only to Teddy, the book can call him Teddy all the way through — the name on the cover and the name in the dialogue are the ones you choose.
There is also a happy coincidence no other name can claim. A boy called Teddy who climbs into bed with his teddy bear is carrying around a little piece of his own name's history — the toy is, quite literally, named after a Theodore. That makes a bedtime story starring him feel like it has come full circle.
The four covers on this page lean into that range. A long, formal name suits the boy in the spacesuit on a quiet alien plain, while the same name shortened to Teddy feels right beside a young deer in a sunlit meadow, at a workbench with a paper glider, or under a sky full of golden sparks.
Where the name Theodore comes from
Theodore comes from the Greek Theodoros, built from two words: theos, meaning god, and doron, meaning gift. Put together, it means "gift of God" — a meaning many parents find fitting for a child who arrived after a long wait, or simply for a child who feels like a gift. The name travelled through Latin as Theodorus and spread across Europe with the early Christian saints who bore it, which is why it turns up in so many languages: Teodoro in Spanish and Italian, Theodor in German and Scandinavian countries, and Fyodor in Russian.
For a long stretch of the twentieth century, Theodore felt like a grandfather's name — respectable, a little formal, more often seen on old documents than in playgrounds. That changed in the last couple of decades. Along with other classic, gentle-sounding names, it came back strongly in New Zealand, Australia, Britain and the United States, and in recent years it has been among the most popular names given to baby boys in New Zealand. Part of the appeal is that it offers two very different nicknames in one: the modern, crisp Theo and the cuddly, old-fashioned Teddy.
The Teddy connection has a famous origin. In 1902, United States President Theodore Roosevelt, known as Teddy, refused to shoot a bear that had been tied up for him on a hunting trip in Mississippi. A newspaper cartoon of the story went around the country, and a Brooklyn shopkeeper named Morris Michtom made a stuffed toy bear and called it "Teddy's bear". Around the same time, the Steiff company in Germany was making its own jointed toy bears, and within a few years the teddy bear was a nursery staple worldwide. So every teddy bear on every child's bed carries a Theodore's nickname.
Theo, Teddy and the other ways to say Theodore
- Theodore — The full name, for the cover of the book, birthday cards and the moments when a parent needs to be taken seriously. It reads well as a title and keeps all four syllables of its Greek roots.
- Teddy — The warm, playful form most often used at home and with little ones. It pairs naturally with bedtime and soft toys, and plenty of boys keep it well into school years.
- Theo — Short, modern and quick to call across a playground or a sports field. Many Theodores switch from Teddy to Theo as they get older, and it works just as well for a hero on an adventure.
- Ted — A brisker, slightly grown-up version of Teddy. Less common for young children today, but some families like its no-nonsense, friendly sound.
- Teddy Bear and Little Ted — Affectionate pet names that grow out of the teddy connection — the sort used at bedtime or by grandparents rather than written on the cover.
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
Full price listPricing
Simple pricing, no surprises.
Every book is made to order — you pay once, no subscription. Card payment via Stripe.
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
Gift voucher
- Digital, printed, with an audiobook — or any combination
- Discounted bundles of 2, 3 or 5 books
- Valid for 3 years
- 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 the hero can be Theodore on the cover and Teddy in the story, or Teddy or Theo throughout — whichever your boy actually answers to.