4 fun ideas to add to your Father's Day book

A personalized Father’s Day book becomes extra special when you add small personal details. Those recognizable jokes, hobbies, and memories make a read-aloud book really yours and bring a smile during story time.

For Remy, for example, we made a Father’s Day story where he secretly crafts a red superhero cape for dad. The mission runs through the house, past dad’s workshop, a broken toy car, and a joke about a spider. They are small details, but they make the book instantly recognizable for the family.

You can add a second character to the book. That means you can create a book with your child in the lead role and dad as a sidekick. See how it looks in the short clip below. How the sidekick works is explained in New features: a sidekick and a smoother flow

Below are four ideas to make your book more personal. Add the details in the story-elements step.

1. Dad's hobbies

Does dad love fishing, music, gaming, barbecuing, or fixing things? Fill in the hobby in the story elements and we work it into the book.

In Remy’s book, dad’s workshop became an exciting part of the mission: Remy sneaks past the garage door, spots the tools, and discovers dad’s superpower of fixing toy cars. An everyday hobby becomes a real scene in the story.

A few examples of how the story can go:

• Dad loves barbecuing. So your child goes on a hunt for the tastiest ingredients for a special Father's Day barbecue.
• Dad is crazy about music. Your child secretly organizes a real Father's Day concert with homemade instruments and a song just for dad.
• Dad loves gaming. Your child has to clear levels and collect hidden treasures to unlock the ultimate Father's Day gift.
• Dad loves fixing things. Your child searches the workshop for exactly the right part to finish dad's Father's Day surprise.

2. Dad as a superhero

Describe things dad is really good at and have them woven into the book. One concrete superpower often works better than a long list.

For Remy, we did not go with the general “dad is strong”, but with something that fits him: dad can make broken cars whole again. That makes dad’s superpower visible in a small, recognizable father-child scene.

For example:

• Dad can fix any broken toy.
• Dad is so strong he can carry me and the groceries at the same time.
• Dad is super smart and always has an answer for everything.
• Dad gives the best hugs in the whole world.
• Dad can make anyone laugh.

3. A typical saying or inside joke

Does dad have a phrase that everyone at home knows? Or a joke you always laugh about together? Add it to the book for extra recognition during story time.

In Remy's book, for example, there is a scene where dad had chased a tiny creepy-crawly spider the day before. Those little jokes are often exactly the moments when a child says: "Dad really does that!"

Examples:

• Dad pretends to be a dino as he walks through the house.
• Dad always says I'm a little rascal. But his little rascal!
• Dad pretends to be scared of spiders.

4. A place that feels instantly familiar

Do you go to the playground, the beach, or the forest together? Or does your Father's Day story happen at home, in the hallway, by the sofa, or in the garage? Add the place in the story elements and the book immediately gets more atmosphere.

For Remy, the house itself worked beautifully: he sneaks through the hallway, hides behind a big plant, and tries to keep his surprise secret while dad comes closer. You do not need a grand adventure; a familiar place can be enough.

For example:

Dad and child walk together through the forest, looking for a special Father's Day surprise, while curious animals help them find the way.

Why personal details make a book so much better

In a personalized read-aloud book, the small recognizable details are what make children, and their dad, see themselves in the book.

That makes reading aloud funnier, and often a keepsake for later.

Looking for an original Father’s Day gift? A personalized book is a gift that gets read together for years.

Choose the Father’s Day theme to create a book around dad. Or pick one of the other themes, using for example a birth announcement card or a photo of the nursery as inspiration for the story and illustration style.

Creating a book for grandma or grandpa instead of dad? Read also: 4 fun ideas for a personal book for grandma or grandpa

More general ideas for a Father’s Day gift? Read also: Father's Day Gift Ideas for Dads Who Have Everything

Examples and prices are on the gift for dad page.

Below you can flip through the full example book of Remy, a book where dad himself joins as a sidekick.

Looking for a gift for dad besides a book? Five ideas that worked well at our house are in 5 original gifts for dad from a baby, toddler, or preschooler.