My First Explorer's JournalA magnifying glass, a notebook, and a whole world to discover right outside your door.

No — that's a firm part of our editorial guidelines. We tell stories about nature close to home: garden insects, park birds, beach shells, tracks in a familiar forest. No safaris, no predators, no snakes, no tropical jungles. The whole idea is to teach children to notice the living world already around them — because that's where wonder truly begins.

Not at all. Many children who receive this book discover that passion through reading it. The story works as a gentle invitation to slow down and look around — no prior interest required. If your child already loves watching insects or collecting feathers, they'll recognise themselves straight away. If they've never thought about it, this book might just be the spark. Many parents write to tell us their child started keeping their own journal after reading it.

No — quite the opposite. Our editorial guidelines uphold an observer's ethic: you look, you sketch, you note, and you put back anything you've lifted. No catching insects, no pulling feathers, no picking flowers to take home. The hero returns with a notebook full of observations, not a bag of trophies. It's an important value to pass on early — and it genuinely changes the way a child walks outside afterwards.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.