A personalized book about a treasure hunt

A treasure hunt is an adventure children can have for real, which is why it feels so close. There are clues, detours and a goal whose contents nobody knows. A book about a treasure hunt lets your child follow the trail step by step, think things through, go the wrong way and find the right one. Every spread becomes a new puzzle to solve. The thrill lies less in the treasure itself than in your child being the one who understands the clues, and that's the feeling that stays with them afterwards.

A treasure-hunt book can take place at home, in the woods, on a beach or across a whole town. Your child can follow arrows made of pine cones, solve a riddle that only makes sense if you know what Grandma always says, dig up a tin from under a big stone or get help from a bird that saw where the key landed. It's extra special when the treasure turns out to be something unexpected: an old photo, a new friend, a party. The map can have a page of its own, with an X, dotted lines and the odd sea monster round the edge.

The more of your child's own world you put in, the more fun it is. Write in the garden, the stairwell or Grandma and Grandad's house, and give clues that belong exactly there: under the mat in the hall, behind the old oak. A brother or sister can be a rival or a helper. If your child has been on a treasure hunt at a party, that's a good seed for the story. Decide, too, who hid the treasure: perhaps an uncle who loves riddles or a neighbour nobody ever sees.

Little children only need to look and find: peekaboo, there it is. Pre-schoolers can manage three or four clues in a row, especially if the pictures drop a hint. School-age children enjoy riddles that are proper wordplay, and the oldest readers love it when a clue turns out to be a trap that makes the hunt longer and trickier. If your child would rather have the sea and ships, Pirates is a good fit.

After reading, set up a treasure hunt at home. Five notes are enough. On each one, write or draw the clue to the next hiding place, and let the last one lead to something small: a box of raisins, a drawing, the book itself. Before long, your child will often want to make a hunt for you instead. Clues that rhyme are especially fun to read aloud.

You fill in the child's name, age and what they like, and upload a photo. The story about a treasure hunt 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.

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.