I remember on a Saturday morning heading to the library with my dad when I was a child. Each
of us would head into our relevant sections then meet up to see what we had chosen and stamp
them out with the librarian. I would lose myself for hours reading and when I find time, I still do.
When Librio told me about a new personalised book they were bringing out for kids and asked if
we would like a review copy I jumped at the opportunity. The boys love new books and the idea
of being in the story themselves is even more special.
The book is called The Tree the Key and Me, A Story For Cody (I chose my six-year-old to
receive this story). The website was super simple to navigate and I entered a personalised
inscription from me at the front of the book and then began the selection process to make the
book unique for Cody.
What I loved about the selection process is that it really is unique to each child. You select from
various options such as skin tone, hair style and colour, eyes and then the type of clothes they
may wear, you can even choose glasses (if applicable). There are in fact 8000 different
possibilities and the book comes in 18 languages and dialects including Welsh, French,
German, Spanish and Swiss, so it really is for everyone and each one is totally unique.
The simple selection process when choosing your child’s characteristics in the book.
The book was sent out within three days of ordering (they are made in the UK, and will ship
worldwide) and I waited to open it until the boy was home from school. The quality is
exceptionally high quality, with 100% recycled FSC certified paper it felt smooth to touch and
was tactile friendly when flicking through the first few pages. What’s even better is that for every
book bought Librio plant a tree with Trees For The Future AND donate £1 to literacy charities.
Cody looking through his book for the first time.
The story is truly magical with the main character (in this case my son Cody) finding a key in a
jam jar in the garden and using it to open the door to a world of imagination and wonder. The
boys have the most incredible imaginations and are always coming up with new games, ideas
and worlds to play in, so this book was right up his street.
There are so many adventures in this book for a child. The story takes them into a world of
imagination, through a door in a tree, problem solving with a witch in a hut, potion making and
back again.
I gave Cody the book without telling him anything about it, I wanted to see his reaction without
any prompting. “Oh wow, Mummy that’s my name, I’m in the book, it looks like me.” I loved this
so much, he tried to read it himself as he was so keen to get stuck in but as he isn’t much of a
reader yet, I took over and we read it together. He ran out to show his daddy and brothers and
it was just lovely seeing their reaction too.
This book is sure to be a Christmas best seller, I have ordered a couple of copies for various
nieces and friends. There is a 15% discount when ordering two or more books – use YAY15 to
make the most of this saving. You can find out more about Librio on their website and social channels, Facebook. Instagram, Twitter, You Tube
The book was sent to us as part of a collaboration with Librio, I was compensated for my time writing this review and selecting the book, all of which was a super efficient and easy process and a joy to take part in.
