Penwizard is a personalised children’s book company formed in 2004, developing innovative personalised products using ‘web to print’ technology, linking customers’ personal data to a digital printing press. Unlike some other personalised books, Penwizard is unique in that customers can personalise the illustrations as well as the words, making the characters in the book represent people they know and love! Penwizard digitally print all of their products in the UK to the highest specifications using technology jointly developed with Hewlett Packard.
Parents will love making their child the star of their very own personalised book, including the child’s name and illustrations.
Penwizard produce a range of personalised children’s books including Adventure Books, Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, In the Night Garden and The Snowman and he Snowdog. They also produce range of photo based calendars and diaries.
About the Book
We all know potty training can be tough – that’s why Penwizard’s new personalised potty training book guides children step-by-step through the process to help them understand what’s involved.
Follow your little Princess on her potty training adventure. Your child will see herself in the illustrations and her name printed throughout her own Potty training book. This personalised children’s book is clear, informative and includes fun pictures of your child learning all about potty training. Not only does this unique potty training book motivate your child to using the potty, but aims to tackle common anxieties toddlers may have about using their potty, as they ‘see’ themselves in the pictures of their own personalised book.
The book guides your child step-by-steps to encourage your little one to get the idea of moving on from nappies to the potty and help her understand what’s involved. This book is perfect for helping girls feel confident and motivated about using the potty.
This is the same story as Potty Pirate and Potty Prince in the same range, and the books are suitable for boys (princes) and girls (princesses) aged 18 months plus.
The book retails at £14.99 with £2.50 UK postage (multiple purchase discounts available)
Our Experience
Erin has just turned two, and has only recently started the potty journey. So far, whilst we have a potty and she understands the concept (saying “wee wee” and quite happily sitting on it), we are yet to have a successful potty visit!
Erin loves to be read to, and loves flicking through the pages of the book as I read out the text, and so a book about potty training felt like the perfect way to reinforce the process.
The process of personalising your book on the Penwizard website is really straight forward. There are 3 different designs of Potty book – Prince, Princess and Pirate, and you can choose which ever you feel is best suited to your child.
Using the online forms, you then simply add in the relevant details, including gender, first name, surname and add a personal message if you wish. We decided to pen a message to Erin saying how proud we were of her for being a big girl, but you can write whatever you like, or if you prefer leave this section blank.
A preview of the character appears on the screen in front of you, and edits you then make to the child’s characteristics are reflected on screen to show how the finished illustration will look. For the girl, we were able to choose from 9 different hairstyles – some long, some short, and some curly, with some tied back and some loose. One of the styles matched Erin’s short kick wave hair perfectly, so this was a bit of a no brainer! The hair colours available are Black, Dark Brown, Light Brown, Ginger and Blonde. I know some of my redhead friends will be really pleased with this, as quite often they can be overlooked!
The child has a choice of 4 different shades for skin tone, and can even have glasses added (in two different styles) if required.
The book then asks you to specify the name of a responsible adult who will be helping the child with their potty training e.g. mummy, daddy. There is only the option for one here, so we chose to put Mummy, as I tend to be at home more in the day than Mike.
Once we had entered all the details, you simply press PREVIEW, which shows an example of the cover page of the book – in our case – Princess Erin’s Potty. The cover looks great, and I knew that Erin would be chuffed to bits when she saw the little girl that looked so much like her!
The book arrived very quickly, just a few days after we had created it online and was well packaged
Reading with Erin
The book was smaller than I expected, but actually I think this is a good thing. The book is the perfect size for its target age group, in that it is small enough and light enough for her to hold herself despite being a hard back cover. It is also sturdy enough for her to turn the pages herself without wripping it to shreads!
We have been working to teach Erin slowly (with no pressure!) about what a potty is and what it is used for, so were using the book to try and reiterate what we have already verbally told her.
Erin enjoyed the pictures and interactive nature of the book, particularly the pages that asked her to choose her own potty, and pick a pair of pants from those pictured. When we pointed at the girl in the book and said Erin she smiled as if she recognised that it was supposed to be her.
Erin will quite often pick this book up and start flicking through the pages on her own.
As a parent who is starting the potty training journey, I think this is a great way of reinforcing a message about the potty and what happens next after nappies! It helps reassure children that having the odd accident whilst they are learning is ok, and that Mummy will still be proud of her no matter what. This is something that I think is particularly important for Erin, as she does tend to get quite embarrassed if ever she wees without a nappy – hence why we had such difficulty getting a sample from her at a recent visit to the hospital!
Overall, this is a fun and engaging way to reinforce the message of potty training to toddlers in a way that doesn’t feel pressured or over powering. The personalised element adds that real special factor to help the child feel that they really are becoming a big girl / big boy!
Pros:
Uses your child’s full name, and first name throughout.
Attractive character and illustrations throughout.
Interactive book, encouraging child to “pick their favourite” from a choice of potty’s and pants!
On ordering, can customise the look of the character including skin tone, hair style and hair colour, to most accurately represent your child. The one we have chosen is uncanny for Erin!!
Small enough for the child to hold and flick through themselves.
Sturdy hard back cover.
Fast Delivery and good communication
Cons:
The story itself isn’t the most entertaining on its own as it serves quite a practical purpose, about a child getting out of nappies, into pants and learning to wee and poo in a toilet. That said, it covers everything I would expect for a child learning the process from scratch, and is engaging and interactive for them as they read.
At £14.99 RRP, there are cheaper potty training books on the market, however, we really love the personalised element of this book which makes it just that little bit special!
*This post was originally published in June 2015. See Penwizard website for current range.
When my daughter turned 2 recently *sob*, I wanted a special outfit for her to wear on her special day, ideally something with her age on so that it could be a great keepsake of the occasion. I had tried to do something similar for her first birthday but found it really difficult to find a design I liked. I encountered similar problems this time around in that:
The few stores that did sell them only sold them in the same size as their age – e.g. I am 2 TShirt was only available in a size 2 years. As my daughter is a little on the small side, this wasn’t going to work – a 2 years Tshirt would swamp her, and there wasn’t the option to buy it in a smaller size.
Other personalise your own T Shirts were very basic in design, and didn’t look high quality. I wanted a design that looked stylish and trendy!
Just when I thought I’d have to park the idea completely, I came across the amazing new designs from Made4Keepsake. Having known Leanne from Made4Keepsake for a while now, and previously reviewed her Date of Birth frames, I was really excited, as they were just what I was hoping for. I couldn’t wait for it to arrive!
About Made4Keepsake
I first came across Made4Keepsake on Twitter, and was immediately impressed with the wide range of keepsake items on offer, including Keepsake Bears (made from babies sentimental first clothing), Date of Birth Prints, Christening Prints, and Handmade Personalised Photo Albums. Made4Keepsake was created by Leanne, who as a fashion designer, has created and designed all of the artwork and imagery for every single one of the products on offer. She wanted to create products with an added personal unique touch so that important moments can be cherished forever.
The Designs:
Birthday Boy / Birthday Girl T Shirt
This fun birthday t-shirt is personalised with the child’s name, age and year of birth on.
T-shirt is 100% cotton and available in the following sizes.
6-12months
1-2 yrs
2-3 yrs
3-4 yrs.
Price is £11.95 plus P&P
Birthday Girl / Birthday Boy Vest
This beautifully designed birthday vest comes with the child’s name, age and year of birth on.
Vest is made from 100% cotton and is available in the following sizes: •
6-12 months
12-18 months
18-24 months.
Price is £10.95 plus p&p
Both products are perfect to remind everyone who’s special day it is and make a wonderful keepsake. Because they are unique they makes a great gift for the birthday boys and girls and looks fab on birthday photos!
Our Experience
We ordered Erin a birthday vest – and were finally able to order a vest didn’t need to match the age of her birthday!
The order process with Made4Keepsake was quick and easy, we simply completed the online form here http://www.made4keepsake.co.uk/shop.html#!/Girls-Heart-Birthday-Vest/p/51605963/category=13148743 outlining Erin’s details, including her name, age and year of birth and selected the size of vest we wanted to order. We received a confirmation to advise that our order had gone through successfully.
Postage is just £2 (for the one vest) and was very quick – my vest arrived just 7 days after order (advised 7-10 days), which for an individually personalised item is a really fast turnaround.
The vest arrived wrapped in tissue with a Made4Keepsake tag, and I was over the moon upon opening it!
The vest itself is traditional white in colour, but the design features a large pink heart with little flowers on the one side, and my daughter’s name in a large fun capitalised font.
The vest is soft to the touch, with no rough texture where the design is present on the fabric and sizing was accurate – the vest fitted Erin perfectly (we ordered a 12-18 month as she is on the small side!)
Unlike some birthday outfits, this vest isn’t vulgar and garish, but really subtle and girly and looks very cute with a little rah rah skirt!
I was (and still am!) over the moon with the finished look and quality of the product and will be placing an order next year for an Erin is 3 T Shirt!
We took some of our now traditional birthday photos with decoupage letters to mark the occasion, and visitors commented on how cute it was on her big day! I think this is a perfect way of marking the occasion, and with Tshirts available up to 3-4 years, I reckon I can get another two birthdays worth of these yet!
As a final note, I think its important to note that the vest washed well, unlike some other personalised items I have had in the past. It did not crack or peel and stayed soft and clean.
Overall I cannot recommend this product more highly, and I think a fab addition to Made4Keepsake’s existing range of personalised products. Other TShirt and Vest designs are available on the Made4Keepsake website – see the ONLINE SHOP button for the full range!
Pros:
The design is subtle and beautiful!
A great way of marking your child’s special day, and a wonderful keepsake.
Personalised with your child’s name, making them feel extra special!
Good quality vest/tee, which washed well and didn’t crack or peel.
Completely unique, you won’t see them on every street corner!
Available in the size of choice, so if your child is small or big for their age, you can find a vest or tee to fit!
Great value for money!
Would make a perfect gift for a child’s birthday!
Cons:
I honestly cannot fault this product as I absolutely LOVE it! I always try to play devil’s advocate and think of a con – but the only one I can think of is that she can’t wear it every day! Lol
Not a con but a suggestion – don’t leave it to the last minute to ensure you have item in time! Products are sent by royal mail and delivery in our case was very quick, but to be on the safe side I would recommend that you order to ARRIVE at least 5 days BEFORE the child’s birthday to avoid disappointment.
As our regular readers will know, here at RMR we are BIG book lovers, and in our opinion there is nothing better than a personalised book – one that a child can grow up with, recognising names, places or photographs as they turn every page.
When I was a girl, I had a personalised book and I felt so special to have my own name feature in the text – it was like the whole story had been written especially for me!! I have fond memories of sitting with my Nan and being read my very own story, and I was keen for my daughter to have the same experience.
With her 1st birthday just a few months away *sob* I decided it would be lovely to create a special book as a birthday present from Mummy and Daddy.
The Product
Penwizard offer a wide range of personalised books staring your child, with prices starting at just £14.99 (for a soft back A4 book).
The range includes personalised birthday books (which can be personalised with your child’s name and age) as well as Peppa Pig and other character books for both boys and girls.
To order your book, you simply enter the personalised details on line via their website. Details required vary by book selected but include details such as full name, age, as well as hairstyle, skin tone and eye colour for the illustrations.
An optional personalised message can be added to mark the gift and capture those special memories.
Penwizard offer fast turnaround times, and books are dispatched within three days.
Our Experience
We decided to order a personalised “Peppa goes to Erin’s Birthday Party” book ready for Erin’s first birthday. In this story, Erin would help Mr Zebra deliver all the invitations to her birthday party and then celebrate with Peppa and her friends. The front cover of the book even includes her age on her very own party balloon!
Although still small, Erin appears to already be a big fan of Peppa and her family, so I was confident that she would love seeing these characters on the pages in a few months time.
The process for ordering our book was really simple.
We simply had to type in our daughters full name, the birthday she would be celebrating (e.g. 1, 2, 3 etc), and then choose the hairstyle and colour, skin tone and eye colour so that the pictures of “Erin” would be personalised throughout the book. Picking what our 1 year old daughters hair might look like was tricky lol, so we went for a girly ponytail, although in reality we will be lucky if she has that much hair!!
We then added a personalised message in the front of the book from Mummy and Daddy, as we thought this would be a nice touch when she looks back at it when she is old enough to read the words for herself.
The book arrived just 2 days later, which was a super fast delivery time, and it looked lovely and of a very high quality.
A4 in size, and with a gloss front cover, the book features 24 pages, making it just the right length for a bedtime story.
Erin’s name features on almost every page, and the story is a pleasant and enchanting tale that children will love.
Overall we loved the book and felt it would be a perfect keepsake for our daughter as she grows up!
Pros:
Characters your children will love, and recognise from childrens TV programmes.
High quality print and well bound pages.
Large size perfect for children of all ages.
Ability to personalise the illustrations as well as the words, meaning you can make the child look as much like your own son / daughter as possible.
Suitable for both boys and girls, as colours and images can be chosen accordingly.
Ability to add a personalised message for recipient.
Good value for money at £14.99 RRP.
Ultra fast delivery and turnaround times.
Cons:
Would have been nice to have had a few other personalised features such as pets name, address, siblings names etc to make the story even more bespoke to your child.
It would be great if Penwizard offered discounts when purchasing more than one book at a time, as if you were creating books for all your children, it could prove to be quite expensive.
Hi, I’m Lucy, a thirty something mum of two from Birmingham. A memory maker, tradition keeper, stationery addict and Mr Men fanatic. HR Advisor by day and sleep deprived Mama by night!
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