Why the theme Dressing up makes a good book
An adventure that suits the child
When a child ties a towel round their neck, they become someone else, at least for a while. Dressing up is one of the oldest ways there is to play with who you are and who you might become. In a book, the transformation can go all the way: the cardboard crown turns to gold, the tea towel becomes a cape billowing in the wind, and your child steps into the role and back out again. The book lets them change shape again and again, try being brave, bossy or completely silly, and still be themselves on the last page.
Who will your child be today?
A dressing-up book can take on a new disguise with every spread: an astronaut on one, a baker on the next, a dragon on the third. It can be about a fancy-dress party where everyone comes as their favourite animal and your child has to guess who's hiding under the ears. It can show a day when your child dresses up as a parent and gets to decide what's for tea. Or a costume with a power of its own – a hat that makes your child invisible as long as it stays perfectly straight.
The fun is often in the details. A black paper moustache that keeps falling off, a tail that gets caught in the door, a suit of kitchen-foil armour that rustles so loudly everyone hears the knight sneaking past.
Straight from your dressing-up box
If your child has a costume that comes out again and again, let it join in. It might be the dragon from a World Book Day parade, an older sister's old party dress, Dad's tie that reaches down to the knees or Grandma's flowery hat. Tell us which role your child dreams of and who in the family usually plays along. Even the cat can have a bow and a part of its own, if it has the patience. A child who'd rather be a monster than a princess, or the other way round, should get to be exactly that.
Keep playing after the last page
A peekaboo rhythm suits a one-year-old: hat on, hat off, where are you, there you are. For three-, four- and five-year-olds, a single transformation with one clear adventure inside it is enough. School-age children enjoy several roles and a problem that only the costume's special power can solve. With older readers, the book can be about putting on a play, or about who you are once the costume comes off.
After reading, build a costume from the book with whatever you have at home: a sheet, a cardboard box, some foil and tape. Let your child choose the next role. If they'd like to stay in one disguise for a good long while, there's more to discover in Superheroes.
Your child is the hero
You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about dressing up is written for your very own child, and the thirteen pictures and the cover are drawn from the photo in the style you choose. Brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents or the pet can come along, up to five characters. If you would like to include something that has happened lately, a trip or a lost tooth, just write it and it is woven in.
From eBook to hardcover book
The eBook is ready a few minutes after payment. Read it, change the text and ask for new pictures until you are happy. Then order it as an A4 hardcover book, printed and sent to your door, or straight to the child as a gift. Do add the audiobook or the coloring pages. Start creating the book or read more about the prices. Would you like to see a finished book before you decide? Browse our example books.
How the story could begin
The chest stands at the very back of the attic, under a little window where dust dances in the sunlight. The lid is heavy, but when you lift with both hands it opens with a creak. It smells of old clothes and lavender. On top lies a pink feather boa that tickles your face, and underneath it a pair of boots that are far too big. Further down you find a pirate's coat with shiny buttons and a cardboard crown with a blue jewel in the middle. You put on the coat. The sleeves dangle way past your hands. You set the crown on your head and turn towards the old mirror in the corner. But the one looking back isn't quite you. They're dressed exactly like you, but they're standing on the deck of a ship in the middle of the sea, beckoning you to hurry.










