Holiday 2012: Personalized Books for Kids

As a writer, I always have some good books on my kids' gifts list. For young children, there's nothing more magical than a book where they are the star.

Personalized books weave the child into the story seamlessly. That can mean taking details from their life, like siblings' names, the city where they live and favorite activities. Or, it can mean customizing the main character so the main character looks like the child. Either way, the end result is a unique story that makes the child feel special.

There are a lot of great personalized books to choose from. The following are my picks for Christmas this year. Keep in mind that you'll need to order your book at least a week before Christmas to ensure it arrives on time.

My Very Merry Christmas

In this board book, forest animals are prepping a very special Christmas for your child. Each page in My Very Merry Christmas ($29.95 on iseeme.com) has beautiful illustrations that artfully incorporate your child's name and, on some pages, other family members' names. Add a dedication at the beginning and, if it's the child's first Christmas, you can choose to have the book customized as a first Christmas book. Also check out the My Very Merry Christmas Coloring and Activity Book ($9.95 on iseeme.com). Heads up, though, you must order by December 12 for Christmas.

Christmas Mouse

It's almost Christmas day and mouse is busy getting the house ready and decorating the tree for your child in Christmas Mouse ($31.95 on paperhatpress.com). You customize the drawings with your child's hair color and skin tone and family members' names and you can add a dedication at the front of the book. The book comes with a personalized ornament that can be popped out of the book's cover for hanging on your tree. Order by December 12.

Stonkeropolous

Your child stars as the hero in this fun tale about a monster that turns out to be friendly once someone is kind to him. When creating the book, you get to customize the look of the main character, selecting eye, skin and hair color, the shape of the eyes, nose, eyebrows and nose and the hair style. You can also pick the color of the costume and whether he or she wears glasses. Available in in hard cover ($37.95 on ChampionMeBooks.com), soft cover ($26.95), or eBook ($9.95). Order by December 14.

The First Adventures of Incredible You

The First Adventures of Incredible You ($36.95 on CustomMadeForKids.com) takes your child on a trip through all of the wonderful experiences he or she will have with friends and family. Each vignette is wonderfully illustrated and customized with personal information. So that trip to the zoo would be the Central Park Zoo and the first ball game would be in Yankee Stadium for my kids. It's a great keepsake item, a perfect gift for a baby or very young child. Order with expedited shipping by December 17.