Personalised book with photo or without? What parents should know

There are other ways to get that moment, though, and a few sensible questions to ask before sending a picture of your child to any website. This article looks at both approaches, honestly, and explains the choice we made at AI-Koma Kids.

Why parents look for a personalised book with photo

The wish behind the photo is simple: you want your child to recognise themselves. A face that looks like theirs, the same curls, the same freckles. For a small child who is just working out who they are, that can be a real thrill, and it makes a memorable keepsake for grandparents too.

Some photo books do this beautifully, and for some families they are exactly the right gift. It is just worth knowing what is involved, so that the photo is a choice and not an afterthought.

Before uploading your child’s photo: a few questions to ask

This is not about being alarmed. It is the same common sense you would apply to any photo of your child online. Before you upload, look for clear answers to these:

• Where does the photo go? Is it processed by the company itself, or passed on to other services?
• How long is it kept? Deleted once the book is made, or stored in an account indefinitely?
• Who can see it? Staff, partners, other users? Is the finished book private?
• Is it used for anything else, such as improving a product or advertising?
• Can you delete it yourself, easily, whenever you want?

If the answers are clear and you are comfortable with them, go ahead. If they are vague or hard to find, that tells you something too.

See a personalised book made without any photo of a child

A book with the child’s name in the story: feeling seen another way

Children do not only recognise themselves in a face. They recognise themselves in a name, in a choice, in a hero who is brave the way they would like to be. When a three-year-old hears their name in the story, or a seven-year-old sees the hero do exactly what they chose, the reaction is often the same: “That’s me.”

That is how AI-Koma Kids works. The child is never drawn. Instead, they choose, in pictures, the hero who will live the adventure: the gentle bear, the cheeky fox, the little adventurer robot, the curious girl who writes everything in her notebook. They add up to two companions, a world, an adventure and a mood. Their first name, which is optional, appears in the text: the narrator speaks to them, or the hero thinks of them at the important moment.

Our article on why children love being the hero goes further into why this works so well.

Make a book with your child’s name in the story, the first one free

The one photo we do use: their cuddly toy

There is one photo in AI-Koma Kids, and it is never of your child. If they have a favourite cuddly toy, you can photograph it on its own, give it a name, and it is drawn in the style of the books as a private character who can come back in every story. The photo itself is not kept.

For many children this is even better than seeing themselves. The rabbit who has been to every sleepover, the bear with one ear chewed flat, suddenly sets off on adventures. It is their world, instantly recognisable, without their face going online.

Photo or no photo: which option suits which family?

• A photo book can suit you if the likeness is the whole point, for example a keepsake for grandparents, and you have checked how the photo is handled and are happy with it.
• A name-and-choices book suits you if you would rather not share pictures of your child, if you want your child to take part in making the book, or if you would like a new story often rather than a one-off.
• A cuddly-toy book suits younger children who are deeply attached to a particular toy, and families who want something personal without a photo of the child.

Both approaches are reasonable. We simply chose not to ask for photos of children, a date of birth or a profile, and to keep every book private, with no adverts. AI-Koma Kids books are digital: read on screen or downloaded as a PDF to print. Each one has 16, 18 or 20 pages depending on age, and is ready in a few minutes.

Compare the plans: 5 or 10 books a month, no commitment