There’s a reason books are such popular children’s gifts. When you give a kid a book, it feels like so much more than just a gift: it feels like you’re giving their young minds something to grow on. It can be a way to share a piece of your childhood with them so you automatically have something wonderful in common. So how better to make that gift extra special than to have it personalized with the child’s name, illustrative avatar, and even their hobbies? I’ve rounded up lots of wonderful options for the best personalized children’s books. The personalization options range from just a name on the cover of a classic book to whole stories built around your child’s name! I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the options. Gone are the days of just dropping a scan of a school portrait into a book: now many of these websites allow you to choose from varying numbers of options to create a custom main character or your story based on your child’s appearance and preferences. Some sites have more diverse options than others, and that diversity varies book to book. All books with customizable avatars have a white and Black skin tone option, but not all go beyond that. I only noticed one book with a glasses option. (My Search-and-Find World Trip, which is second only to The Tree the Key and Me for sheer number of customization options.) Overall, Librio had the most varied options. Watch for holiday order deadlines if you’re planning to give one of the personalized children’s books this holiday season! Check out even more of the best gifts for book lovers in 2020 here!
