A personalized book for kids who are afraid of the dark

Night fears are common — stories can help gently

Many three-to-six-year-olds worry when the lights go out. The hallway looks longer. The gap under the door looks darker. A creak becomes a question. That mix of “stay with me” and a small burst of bravery is common at this age, not a diagnosis, and it is not something you have to solve in one night. Parents hear it at bedtime, after a late film, after moving house, or on an ordinary Tuesday that simply felt too dark.

A story with them in it can open a gentle conversation at bedtime — not a lecture on being brave, and not a promise the fear will vanish. We will not call this a clinical programme. It is a kind illustrated adventure you can reread, with their name and their drawing on every spread. Some families read it for a week and put it on the shelf. Some keep it as the last book of the night. Both are fine.

What this Toto story is about

Toto’s homepage already names this idea as “brave in the dark”: a twelve-spread adventure that meets the fear kindly, so the dark can feel a little less huge. We will not lock a fixed plot on this page. The live book is a Toto idea you pick — or a sentence you write — not a script you have to match word for word, and not a monster-under-the-bed formula invented for search.

If their night has a night light, a particular stuffed animal, or a check-on-me routine, pick Toto’s brave-in-the-dark idea or write one sentence of your own so the arc fits. Sleeping in their own room is still on the homepage theme list until a dedicated page ships. Browse sample spreads on Examples. First day at nursery is on its own page. Relatives can start from the personalized children’s book gift hub.

It has to look like them

Upload one clear photo (two or three if they stay sharp), add a first name and age, and choose the brave-in-the-dark idea or your sentence. Toto draws a stylized character. You approve that likeness before the story is made. That gate is the point: the person creating the book is the person who says the drawing looks right. A bedtime book gets reread; the face has to be theirs, or the reread does not land. How it works walks the steps. For how this differs from a name-insert book, read What makes a personalized kids’ book actually personal.

Then we write and illustrate twelve spreads, using the same approved drawing on every page. After you approve and pay, the ebook is there to read together. A hardcover is printed and posted in about seven days, plus the shipping time quoted at checkout. Nothing in the story run starts until the likeness is signed off. Original photos are used only to draw the child — not sold, not shared, not used as ads — and you can request deletion. Photo tips for shots; kids’ photo privacy for the short version; the Privacy notice for the legal one.

How ordering works

Photo, first name, and age. Approve the drawing. Then the twelve-spread story. Digital ebook is €9.99 — the full illustrated story to read on screen. The ebook + hardcover bundle is €34.90 plus shipping: digital plus a stitched hardcover. If you already bought the ebook, the hardcover upgrade is €24.90 plus shipping, about seven days to print and post.

Amounts in EUR. Shipping is quoted at checkout for print orders. Taxes may apply depending on destination. There is no free express shipping and no rush print beyond that seven-day note plus the quote at checkout. Grandparents, godparents, and aunts sometimes want the print edition as a gift. Same flow, same likeness approval — there is no ship-without-approval shortcut. Compare the three SKUs on Pricing, and use Hardcover vs ebook when you are choosing a format rather than rereading it here. The gift hub is the giver view.

Optional bedtime tip

If you want one practical habit: read it together with a small night light still on, and do not force a bravery talk after the last page. Some children want to point at the pictures. Some want the same spread twice. Some just want you in the room. Follow that. It is a bedtime bridge, not a programme, and not a test of whether they are “ready” to sleep without the lamp.

Privacy

A clear face helps: eyes visible, decent light, not a tiny figure in a group. Bedtime photos are often dim; if the face is soft, take one more in the morning. One good photo is enough. Photos are used only to draw the child. They are not sold, not shared, and not used as ads. You can request deletion. The short version is kids’ photo privacy.

How it works, Pricing, FAQ, and the guides on personalization, photo tips, hardcover versus ebook, and kids’ photo privacy are one click away. Then make their brave-in-the-dark book when you are ready. More on How it works, Pricing, and FAQ.