Book Nook: ____ Travels Around the World from Family Stories

I recently had the chance to work with a new (to me) personalized book company, Family Stories. Right now they have one option, "Travels Around the World," available in red or blue Christmas editions, or a non-seasonal edition.

There are definitely some unique ways this site makes its books. The character is personalizable as boy or girl, and book creators can choose from different types of eyes, hair, nose, and glasses. Skin color can also be personalized. One downside is that all boy hair styles are shortish and nearly all girl hair styles are long - plus, the girl is pink and wears a dress, and some girls don't like pink. However, they're clearly targeting the majority of kids, and there are also limits to the number of options that can be printed, I'm sure. In each book, two adults can be chosen, and their titles picked - so mom or mommy, dad or daddy, or other titles. The gender of the adults can also be chosen, so while there isn't an option for a single-parent household (other than to choose another loving adult to be featured in the book), families could choose two moms or two dads. It does go a long way towards representing more families than some options.

The story itself is cute - the main character travels around the world, seeing famous sights and learning a bit during the travels. The co-founder, Danai Balta created the book to help solve her issue of explaining business travel to her kids. Whether or not the book is used for a family with a traveling parent, it is a great way to introduce different cultures and customs, and hopefully inspire further discovery about the places and countries in the book.

You're a little late to get it in time for Christmas, but for post-Christmas exchanges or birthdays and gift-giving year-round, this is a unique option!