“Custom” should mean more than a name on a cover. At TurtleTime it means every meaningful part of the book is a choice you make: who's in it, what happens, how old the reader is, what it looks like, and how long it runs.
Here's the full list of what you can actually customise — and why each one matters.
Add any number of characters — your child, siblings, a best friend, a grandparent, a pet, a cuddly toy, even a fully invented character described in words. Each one gets a consistent illustrated identity across every story they appear in.
Set real relationships (“Nana is Harrison's grandmother”) so the story treats your cast the way your family actually is.
Set a reading age from toddler-simple to confident-teen, and the vocabulary, sentence length and plot complexity adjust to match — not a single script stretched thin across every age.
Choose a shorter story for a quick wind-down or a longer one for a proper adventure; both are paced for the age you've set.
Pick from curated theme chips, or type your own idea in plain English — as specific or as open as you like. Layer on a writing style: rhyming verse, classic fairy tale, funny and silly, calm and soothing, action-packed, or gently spooky.
Educational themes — phonics, counting, kindness, teamwork and more, filtered to suit the reading age — can be woven in without turning the story into a lesson.
Choose from eleven distinct art styles, from classic storybook watercolour to glossy 3D movie style, gentle anime, comic book, claymation and more — the same character redrawn consistently in whichever look you pick.
Pick a book shape (square, portrait or landscape) that determines both the on-screen layout and which printed sizes are available later.
No blank page, no writing or drawing skill needed — just a photo or a description, and a few simple choices.
Upload a photo for a true likeness, or describe your child, a toy or an invented character in words instead.
Choose a theme or type your own idea, set the reading age and writing style, and pick from eleven art styles.
A fully illustrated story appears in about a minute — read it, hear it read aloud, or print it as a keepsake.
The things a free chatbot won't do — the narration, the trust, and the keepsake.
The same lovable hero on every page, built from a single photo.
Soothing AI narration reads every story aloud, so they can listen and follow along on the iPad.
From 'read to me' to 'I can read', tuned to their age and ability.
Premium hardcovers and a growing library you'll keep for years.
Every story is moderated automatically and you see it before your child does. No ads, ever.
A point-and-click flow — magic without the wait or the work.
Use one as-is, tweak it, or upload a photo and tell us your own — every story is generated fresh, unique to your child.
Every sibling, a grandparent, and the family dog, all with a genuine part to play.
Gymnastics, drawing, football practice — turn what they already love into the plot's engine.
Try the same idea in watercolour, then again in comic book style, and compare the two.
Free to preview — pick their look, their name, and watch it come to life in about a minute.
Create Your Own Children's Book
You don't need to be a writer or an illustrator. See exactly how anyone can create a real, finished children's book at TurtleTime in about a minute.
Custom Story Prompts
TurtleTime's free-text idea box lets you steer the story precisely — real names, real places, a specific ending. How to write a prompt that gets great results.
AI Storybook Generator
TurtleTime's AI storybook generator turns a photo and an idea into a fully illustrated, narrated book — not just a page of text. See the whole process, step by step.
A storybook gift for twins — two heroes, one story.
A personalised TurtleTime storybook gives twins equal billing — both featured properly, whether they want matching stories or two entirely different ones.
Personalised Children's Books
See how real personalisation works at TurtleTime — a genuine illustrated likeness of your child, not a preset avatar. Formats, pricing and FAQs, all in one place.
Personalised Story Books
More than a single gift — TurtleTime personalised story books become a growing library, each one starring your child, each one different. See how it works.
AI Children's Books
What AI actually adds to a children's book at TurtleTime — a genuine likeness, an original story, and safety checks at every step. No generic chatbot output.
Photo to Storybook
Exactly how a photo becomes an illustrated hero at TurtleTime — multi-angle likeness, our safety approach, and examples across every art style.
Yes — add as many characters as you like, and the story genuinely features all of them, not just a single named hero with everyone else as background.
Yes — pick from styles like rhyming verse, classic fairy tale, funny and silly, calm and soothing, action-packed adventure, or gently spooky, independent of whatever theme you choose.
Each story keeps the style it was generated in, but you can create a new story (or a sequel) in a different style any time, using the same characters.
Yes — themes like phonics, counting, kindness or teamwork can be woven into the plot itself, filtered by reading age so nothing feels mismatched to your child's stage.
Your idea can be up to 500 characters — plenty of room for real names, a real place, a specific pet, or a very particular request.
We built TurtleTimefor our own children first. Safety isn't a setting here — it's the whole point.
Create your child's first story free — in about a minute.
