Creating a children's book is something many parents and grandparents dream of doing. A tailor-made story featuring the child's name, their favourite characters, adventures imagined just for them. Until recently, that was reserved for professional illustrators and publishing houses. AI has changed all of that.
With MakerBook, you can create a real illustrated children's book from scratch — no drawing skills, no coding, no professional budget required.
What "creating a book with AI" actually means
Artificial intelligence doesn't replace your creativity. It amplifies it.
You bring the idea: a child heading off to explore the forest, a baby learning to walk, a little girl visiting her dragon grandma. The AI takes care of the illustrations and helps you shape the story. The result is a visually coherent book with a consistent graphic style from the very first page to the last.
This isn't a random generator spitting out a generic story. It's a tool that works from your choices — characters, settings, tone, colour palette — to produce something truly unique.
How to create your book, step by step
1. Choose the main character
Start by deciding who sits at the heart of the story. That could be:
- The child themselves, with their name and a physical description
- An imaginary pet
- A hero they absolutely love
2. Build the story
You don't need to be a writer. A good children's story follows a simple structure: a character, a problem, a solution. That's it.
You can browse our children's story ideas if you need a starting point. Or let the AI suggest a storyline based on a theme — dinosaurs, outer space, the first day of school, a new baby in the family.
If you want to go deeper into the writing side of things, the guide how to write a children's story will give you a solid foundation.
3. Choose an illustration style
This is where everything comes to life. MakerBook offers several graphic styles: soft watercolour, pencil drawing, Scandinavian style, bold and vibrant illustrations…
The style should match the child's age and the tone of the story. A lullaby for babies calls for a very different visual world than a pirate adventure for a six-year-old. The guide choosing an illustration style will help you make the right call.
4. Customise the layout
Text, font, the arrangement of images and words on each page — all of this is easy to adjust. A book for 0–3 year-olds will have minimal text and large illustrations. For 4–7 year-olds, you can afford more storytelling.
You can see exactly how it all works on the how it works page.
5. Finalise and print
Once your book is done, you have two options: download it as a PDF to print yourself, or go through a professional printer. You can also publish it on Amazon KDP if you want to make it available for sale — a great option for amateur authors or teachers who want to share their work.
Who is this for?
This question comes up a lot. Here are the most common profiles:
Parents who want to give their child a book featuring their name — a story about their life, their family, their fears or their dreams. Grandparents looking for a truly original gift, far from plastic toys. A book made by grandma or grandpa is something a child will treasure for life. Teachers and educators who want to create personalised learning materials for their class. Amateur authors who have had a story in their head for years and never had the means to get it illustrated.What it costs (and what it's worth)
Having a book illustrated by a professional costs anywhere between €500 and €3,000 depending on the number of pages and the style. That's out of reach for most people.
With MakerBook, the cost is a fraction of that. Check out the pricing page to see the current options. The bottom line: you pay for a finished result, not for uncertain hours of work.
A gift that lasts
A personalised book is an object. Something you hold in your hands, read and read again. Children develop deep attachments to books that speak directly about them — this has been well documented in child psychology for a long time.
Giving a book where "Lucas sets off on an adventure in the magical forest" is a completely different experience from offering a generic story with a name slapped on the cover. It's a story crafted for him, filled with details that feel like him.
Whether you're looking for a birth gift, a birthday present, a Christmas surprise, or an end-of-year treat, a personalised children's book ticks every box: unique, lasting, and full of meaning.
Ready to get started?
The easiest thing to do is just try it. You'll know within a few minutes whether the tool is right for you.
Create your first book for free — no credit card needed to start exploring.
