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My Hero Holiday — book cover
My Hero Holiday — a family reading moment
My Hero Holiday — product card
My Hero Holiday — product card
My Hero Holiday — product card
My Hero Holiday — product card
My Hero Holiday — product card

My Hero HolidayThe adventure begins the moment the suitcase opens.

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A personalized book where your child lives their holiday as the hero — beach, mountains, camping or grandma's house, you pick the setting.

  • Premium hardcover book
  • Custom illustrations
  • Express delivery in 7 days
  • Money-back guarantee
Choose your version

Add the song+€9.90

An original track personalised with their name.

"Buy now": pay first, then personalise after checkout.

Secure paymentMoney-back guaranteeExpress delivery in 7 days

10 ch.

№ 01 · Review

« Ordered right after we got back from our week in Cornwall. He opens it back up every Sunday evening — he says it's to go on holiday again for five minutes. »

— James, parent of Noah (6 years) · Manchester · ★★★★★

  • A complete story

    10 or 20 chapters + intro + conclusion

  • Personalised

    Name, photos, hobbies — one of a kind for your child

  • Premium format

    Hardcover binding, same beautiful size for all ages, thick matte paper, premium quality

  • Express delivery

    Printed copy delivered in 7 days · digital version ready in 24 h

№ 03 · Preview

Illustrations taken from real books — beaches, trails, campsites and cabins created for other little heroes. A glimpse of what your child will receive.

16 scenes · real books · many places

Scene 1 / 16

Scene 1

№ 02 · Our promise

A holiday deserves more than a cardboard backdrop. Every book passes through the hands of a creative team that follows a strict charter — what it commits to telling, and what it refuses to rush.

That's the difference between a memory you reach for on a winter evening, and something that stays at the bottom of the suitcase on the way home.

— , on every My Hero Holiday.

What we do

  • A story rooted in THE chosen place — not vaguely "on holiday"
  • A moment where an unfamiliar place becomes the child's own territory
  • A discovery or a moment of initiative that family and friends will notice
  • Family, friends, a comfort toy or pet can join the cast — if the parent wishes
  • A gentle holiday glow — long golden days, time standing still

What we won't do

  • A name slapped onto a generic beach story
  • Interchangeable scenery that could be absolutely anywhere
  • Catalogue clichés — sun loungers, ice cream and turquoise sea on every page
  • Forced plot twists just to fill pages
  • A "perfect hero" who never feels a flutter of doubt at the start

№ 02b · The book up close

Holidays fly by — photos sit forgotten on a phone, and three months later all that's left is a "it was fun." A book where your child is the hero of their own holiday? That one gets read all year long.

A child's holiday is made of enormous days — the first night somewhere new, a treasure found on a trail, a friend made at the campsite. Then September arrives and it all gets tucked away in a corner of memory. A personalized holiday book changes that: it turns those days into a story your child reads all year, with their name on every single page.

My Hero Holiday puts your child at the centre of their own holiday adventure. You choose the setting — the seaside, the mountains, a campsite, grandparents' house, or a world that's entirely imaginary — and our creative team writes the story that unfolds there, with custom illustrations created from an optional photo.

What makes this book special is the choice of setting. Unlike a generic "at the beach" story, here you decide where the adventure takes place. A week by the sea, a ski trip, a summer at the campsite, August at gran and grandad's: the story's backdrop matches what your child actually experienced — or what they're about to experience, if you give the book before you leave to build excitement.

And they don't go alone: up to 3 loved ones join the cast — a sibling, cousin, holiday friend, favourite toy or pet. Each with their own name, each instantly recognizable.

Seashells go missing, photos stay on the phone. A children's holiday keepsake in the form of a book stays on the shelf. It gets pulled out on a November evening, shown to friends when school starts back, rediscovered years later with a smile. That's what makes this a different kind of holiday gift for kids: not one more thing to pack, but a lasting record of one particular summer (or winter).

  • The child's name woven into every page of the story
  • Your chosen holiday destination as the backdrop for the adventure
  • Custom illustrations created by our creative team from an optional photo
  • Up to 3 loved ones in the cast — family, friends, favourite toy, pet
  • A4 landscape format (29.7 × 21 cm), 28 or 48 pages depending on the edition
  • Premium hardcover binding identical across all ages
  • Express delivery in 7 days to mainland UK, or PDF in 24 hours

The book works all three ways: given before departure, it builds excitement and helps ease the unknown — first summer camp, first flight, first night away from home. Read on location, it's perfect for evening wind-downs. Ordered after the trip, it captures the holiday before the memories fade. And it grows with your child — sensory text for ages 0–2, first adventures for ages 3–5, richer stories for ages 6–8, chapter-style narratives for ages 9 and up.

Ready to turn the next holiday into a book? Start creating in just a few minutes — choose the setting, and our creative team takes care of the rest.

№ 04 · Stories waiting to be told

Visual preview of the The Big Departure archetype

The suitcase fills up, the house locks up, and the journey begins. At the other end, a brand-new world — and a child stepping into it, wide-eyed.

  1. The suitcase lies open on the bed. The child packs the essentials: cuddly toy first, everything else after.
  2. The journey unrolls its wonders — landscapes rushing past, a tunnel that takes you by surprise, the first glimpse of somewhere new.
  3. That evening, the child falls asleep somewhere else entirely. And somewhere else, already, feels like a promise.

For every book, our creative team selects the arc that best captures your duo — the one you'll recognise the moment you read it together.

№ 05 · FAQs

The most common questions about My Hero Holiday — answered honestly, with nothing left out.

Can we choose where the holiday takes place in the story?

Yes — that's the heart of this book. When you create it, you choose the world where the holiday unfolds: seaside, mountains, forest, campsite, farm, or even a completely imaginary place. The story and illustrations are rooted in that specific setting, so your child recognizes THEIR holiday — not some generic one.

Is it better to give the book before the trip or after?

Both work brilliantly. Before the trip, the book builds anticipation and helps ease the unknown — first summer camp, first flight, first night away from home. Afterwards, it turns the holiday into a lasting keepsake to revisit all year. Just keep the timing in mind: express delivery in 7 days to mainland UK, or PDF in 24 hours if you're leaving soon.

Can holiday friends or cousins appear in the book?

Yes — up to 3 loved ones can join the cast. A cousin, a campsite friend, a sibling, a grandparent, a favourite toy or a pet — you choose. Each one gets their own name and a description (or a photo if you have one). Your child will find the people who really mattered during that holiday right there in the story.

What are the delivery times?

Our express delivery takes 7 days within mainland UK — the safe option if you need the book by a specific date. Standard delivery takes 10 to 15 working days when there's no rush. In a real hurry? The digital version (PDF) is ready within 24 hours of your order being confirmed. For international deliveries, allow extra time depending on the destination. You'll receive a tracking number by email as soon as your order ships. Any questions? Drop us a line at hello@realbigstories.com.

What size is the book, and how many pages does it have?

The book is A4 landscape format (29.7 × 21 cm when closed) — perfect for reading together side by side or laying flat on a table. The standard version has 10 illustrated chapters, plus an introduction and conclusion, coming to around 28 pages in total. The long version is nearly twice that, with 20 chapters and roughly 48 pages. Each chapter features a full-page illustration paired with text tailored to your child's age.

What's the print and paper quality like?

Printed on thick, premium matte paper. The hardcover is sturdy and the same high quality across all age ranges. The binding is sewn and glued to last — this is a book built to be read a hundred times, not to gather dust at the back of a drawer.

Can I make changes after placing my order?

Yes — as long as your book hasn't gone to print yet, which is usually within the first few hours after ordering. Get in touch as quickly as possible at hello@realbigstories.com with your order number and the change you need (a misspelled name, a photo to swap, a character to adjust). Once printing has started, we're unable to make any further changes.

What if I'm not happy with the result?

If something isn't right — a printing defect, a quality issue, or an illustration that doesn't look like your child — contact us as soon as possible after receiving your order at hello@realbigstories.com. We'll either reprint or give you a full refund, no questions asked. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, we make it right.

Are my photos and personal data safe?

Yes — your photos are only used to create the book. They're never shared, never used for anything else, and they're deleted from our servers on request. All our providers (payment, hosting, printing) are GDPR compliant.

How much can I personalize the book?

Far beyond just the name. Your child's face is illustrated from your photos, and appears on every page. You also choose the story world, the plot, the characters around them (family, friends, pet) and the little details of appearance. The book stays fully editable until you approve the preview: you read through the text, request any changes, and printing only starts once you're happy.

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Ready to get started?

Tell us a little about your child, and we'll take care of the rest. PDF version in 24 hours, printed book in 7 days.