How old should my child be?

Any age from a few months to 12. A book for a baby has a few gentle words on each page; a book for an eight-year-old reads like a real adventure.

Which Arabic is it written in?

Modern Standard Arabic, Levantine, Egyptian, Gulf or Moroccan: you choose for each book. Modern Standard Arabic comes with vowel marks (تشكيل) for children under eight, and you can turn them on or off.

Will the child in the pictures look like mine?

Describe them once, with skin tone, hair, glasses or hijab, and every book draws them the same way. No photos needed.

What if a picture or a line isn’t right?

Describe the change in your own words, or have the picture painted again. You can edit the text of any page and the title too.

How long does a book take?

Usually under ten minutes. The words come first, so you can start reading while the pictures are painted.

$2.50 for a 10-page book and $4.50 for a 20-page book. Your card is charged only once your book is finished, so if it can’t be made you pay nothing. There is no subscription, and changing pictures and words afterwards is included.

Your own book from $2.50

A bedtime story that knows your child’s name. حكاية قبل النوم تعرف اسم طفلك.

Written for their age, in the Arabic your family speaks and in English, then painted page by page with your child in every picture.

Two languages: Arabic and English on every page
5 dialects: from Fusha to Darija
Ages 0–12: written for their age
Under 10 min: from idea to book

$2.50 for a 10-page book, $4.50 for 20. No subscription.

Make your child’s book

One evening, start to finish. من الفكرة إلى السرير في أمسية.

Tell us about your child. أخبرونا عن طفلكم.
Their name and age, the Arabic you speak at home, and what the story is about, in English or in Arabic.
We write it in both languages. نكتبها باللغتين.
For their age, in your Arabic, with English on every page. You can read it while the pictures are painted.
We paint every page. ونرسم كلّ صفحة.
In the style you chose, with your child drawn the same way on every page.
Read it together. اقرؤوها معًا.
On a phone, a tablet or the TV, or print the PDF. Change any picture or line you like.

A real book, not a mock-up

Read the one we made for Layla. اقرؤوا كتاب ليلى.

Layla is 17 months old, so her book has a few words a page, rhyming in Gulf Arabic and in English. It’s drawn in coloured pencil, with Winston and Albert beside her on every page.

Arabic: Gulf
Pictures: Coloured pencil
Reader: Layla, 17 months
Pages: 10, in rhyme

Winston & Albert Traveling وينستون وألبرت في رحلة

Page 1
هالكرة الأرضية فيها بحار
This globe has seas of blue
Page 2
وينستون يركب هالقطار
Winston rides the train choo choo
Page 3
هالعجلات وقفت
These wheels stopped today
Page 4
هالسيارة لفت
This car turned away
Page 5
ألبرت بالباص سعيد
Albert beams on his bus ride
Page 6
هالمركب يروح بعيد
This boat sails far and wide
Page 7
هالطيارة تطير بشويش
This plane flies nice and slow
Page 8
نزلت مثل الريش
It landed like feathers drifting low
Page 9
دخلنا بيتنا بأمان
We're home safe and sound
Page 10
حضن ليلى كله حنان
Layla gives hugs all around

Make one for your child

Made the way you talk at home. كما تتكلمون في البيت.

Choose the Arabic, the pictures and the length for each book, and change anything once it’s made.

Bedtime sounds different in every home. لكلّ بيتٍ لهجته.

Modern Standard Arabic فصحى: لا أريدُ أن أنامَ الآن!
Levantine شامي: ما بدّي نام هلّق!
Egyptian مصري: مش عايز أنام دلوقتي!
Gulf خليجي: ما أبي أنام الحين!
Moroccan دارجة: ما بغيتش نعس دابا!

“I don’t want to go to sleep now!”, in each Arabic we write. Pick one for each book, and the whole story is told in it.

Five ways to paint it. خمسة أساليب للرسم.

Watercolour: Soft, warm, gentle, great for bedtime and emotional scenes.
Cartoon: Big expressions, easy-to-read characters, very toddler-friendly.
Flat: Clear shapes, bold colors, easy for babies and toddlers to visually process.
Paper cut-out: Playful, tactile, handmade feel; common in board books.
Coloured pencil: Cozy, childlike, approachable, feels hand-drawn and warm.

The same child on every page. الطفل نفسه في كلّ صفحة.

Describe your child once: skin tone, hair, glasses or hijab. No photos needed.

Vowel marks, on or off. بالتشكيل أو بدونه.

On by default in Modern Standard Arabic for children under eight. Switch them while you read.

Change any page. غيّروا أيّ صفحة.

Edit any line or the title. Describe a new picture in your own words, or have one painted again.

10 or 20 pages: Long enough for one bedtime, or two.
Rhymes, if you like: Verse with a steady beat, for reading aloud.
Any screen, or paper: A phone, a tablet or the TV, or print the PDF.
From $2.50 a book: $4.50 for 20 pages. No subscription.

Tonight’s story could be about your child. حكاية الليلة يمكن أن تكون عن طفلكم.

You only pay for a finished book. No subscription, and changing pictures and words afterwards is included.

$2.50 a 10-page book كتاب من ١٠ صفحات
$4.50 a 20-page book كتاب من ٢٠ صفحة

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Questions parents ask. أسئلة الأهل.

How old should my child be?: Any age from a few months to 12. A book for a baby has a few gentle words on each page; a book for an eight-year-old reads like a real adventure.
Which Arabic is it written in?: Modern Standard Arabic, Levantine, Egyptian, Gulf or Moroccan: you choose for each book. Modern Standard Arabic comes with vowel marks (تشكيل) for children under eight, and you can turn them on or off.
Will the child in the pictures look like mine?: Describe them once, with skin tone, hair, glasses or hijab, and every book draws them the same way. No photos needed.
What if a picture or a line isn’t right?: Describe the change in your own words, or have the picture painted again. You can edit the text of any page and the title too.
How long does a book take?: Usually under ten minutes. The words come first, so you can start reading while the pictures are painted.
What does it cost?: $2.50 for a 10-page book and $4.50 for a 20-page book. Your card is charged only once your book is finished, so if it can’t be made you pay nothing. There is no subscription, and changing pictures and words afterwards is included.