Wonderbly Review: Best Personalized Children’s Books?

One of my fondest memories as a kid reading, were the personalized children's books with my name in them. With each reading, I felt like the hero in each book and found myself wanting to read it again and again. So when my mom wanted to get my kids Wonderbly books, personalized with their names and characters that even looked like them, I knew they'd be a hit upon quick review… and they have been!

Wonderbly books perfectly captured my children's (and my) hearts, even helping my oldest learn to write her own name! Click here + use coupon MULTI20 for a discount!

What impressed me the most about Wonderbly books: the quality. They are beautifully designed, with gorgeous, vibrant colors, and the pages are a thick cardstock… personalized kids books certainly have come a long way from the cheap one's I remember picking out at the mall!

Wonderbly Review:

On a high level, Wonderbly creates personalized books for newborn to adults.

Their most popular products are the children's books with their name in the story. You can also customize the character (or include a photo in some) that looks like whoever you're making it for. As you go through the story, your child (or adult) can delight in seeing their name (and likeness) in the story.

They offer personalized baby books to personalized books for adults of varying interests and complexity. They also offer seasonal books and options to celebrate holidays or other milestones like birthdays.

How does it work: 

Start by browsing their collection of nearly 100 personalized books (yes, you read that right!).

Don't worry, while it's a lot, they have it broken down by age and/or interests and we'll talk more about some of our favorite later in this post!

Once you find the books you're interested in, click “personalize my book”

From there, you'll be prompted through a series of questions like the child's name, gender, and the character that most resembles them:

After that, you'll get a series of prompts regarding the book itself. You can choose a hard cover, flat lay, soft cover, bonus pages, and more. Additionally, you can personalize the color of the color to match your child's favorite!

Next, you'll receive the opportunity to put a dedication at the beginning of the book. If you're not a wordsmith, they do auto populate one for you. We like to include a note on the year, special occasion, who it's from, and a little wish for the child.

Finally, you'll get to preview the book with your selections! NOTE: There are no arrows, you simply click the cover and it'll start flipping the pages like a digital “lookbook” of sorts. This is AWESOME for families who like to read a book before committing to it and one of my absolute favorite features!

NOTE: The preview option is available for almost all of their books and each page of said books; but there are occasional one's that don't offer this. If for whatever reason a book is unavailable for preview, you can email them hello@wonderbly.com and request to see the pages. Due to the personalized nature of the books, they don't offer returns or exchanges if you don't like the story so be sure to do that!

Wonderbly books perfectly captured my children's (and my) hearts, even helping my oldest learn to write her own name! Click here + use coupon MULTI20 for a discount!

Quality + Experience

As you can see, Wonderbly makes the ordering process a breeze! It takes just a few minutes to order a gift that is sure to be cherished for years!

Beyond that, the actual book itself is incredibly well made and durable.

I was a bit nervous when my mom wanted to get one of the longer story books for my 18 month old. He has a history of tearing pages out of books… however I was pleasantly surprised by the thick pages of Wonderbly books. Despite being pretty rough on his book (he has the Dino one and likes to “act” it out), they remain like new.

Additionally, the images are beautiful, vibrant, and engaging for little kids.

Wonderbly books perfectly captured my children's (and my) hearts, even helping my oldest learn to write her own name! Click here + use coupon MULTI20 for a discount!

All in all I'd give them a 10 out of 10 on execution from the easy ordering and quality end product.

Do kids like Wonderbly books?

Yes! Both of my kids LOVE their Wonderbly books! Which is fairly unsurprising because kids are often the center of their own Universe, so a book that puts them – quite literally – as the center star, really satisfies them.

Beyond that, my daughter actually learned how to write her name from the “Girl Who Lost Her Name” book.

Like I said in the opening of this post, I have vivid memories of getting personalized books as a kid and reading those stories over and over again – the experience has been just the same with my kids.

Pros and Cons of Wonderbly

Overall, I'd say Wonderbly is a great option if you're looking to give an impactful gift that children will love or if you're struggling to get your child into reading. They've made it incredibly easy to find a book for people of all ages and interests and you're sure to find something for whoever you're looking for.

Bad Wonderbly Reviews and Complaints

While we do love Wonderbly, there are a few things to keep in mind when ordering from them:

Ship time

Since each book is custom printed, it can take a couple weeks to receive your order. This is definitely something to plan in advance and not expect in a week's time.

Wonderbly books perfectly captured my children's (and my) hearts, even helping my oldest learn to write her own name! Click here + use coupon MULTI20 for a discount!

Occasionally awkward read with name pairings

If you're someone who really values a good “flow” while reading children's books, I urge you to read through the preview and potentially opt for a nickname.

While the books are personalized, the story line remains the same from book to book. Meaning some names may read a little funny in the book compared to other names. In our experience, this holds particularly true with hard to rhyme names with strong endings.

Now this isn't the case for all of their books, but one's you'd expect to rhyme (like the Nursery Rhyme one) could be a little frustrating for some:

Pricing

Personalized children's books cost quite a bit more than a standard kids book. This is largely due to the fact they can't be mass printed. And if you've ever gone to print your own poster, you know how pricey printing just one copy can be versus 50.

With that said, their pricing is pretty close to competitors, though a few dollars more, you do get significantly more personalized with Wonderbly compared to others. So in my opinion, if you're already spending more on a book, I'd rather it have that premium feel all the way through which does make Wonderbly one of the best personalized children's books in our opinion.

Wonderbly Book Reviews

Your Magic Photo

This is the perfect personalized baby book + toddler's who have a hard time sitting still through a book and needs lots of interaction

This is one of my favorite Wonderbly books for babies! We all know, infants love looking at real faces, including their own! While the book is recommended for 2 to 4 year olds due to the interactive nature, I think it's a really fun read for babies as young as 3 months; as long as you're mindful to act it out for them and let them stare as long as they like.

You personalize this book with your child's name AND their real photo (another reason I know babies will love it). Then the book takes you through a story where the child's picture turns into different shapes, colors, and sizes. There's lots of rhyming and interactive moments for clapping, pressing, and shouting which makes it the perfect book for toddlers learning impulse control and how to follow instructions.

Lost My Name

This book is perfect for: toddlers and preschoolers learning their name or how to read/write

The Girl Who Lost Her Name is one of my daughter's absolute favorites! It taught her how to spell and write her name and she often makes “robot R's” based on the book now.

The child goes on a magical quest meeting various characters to collect the missing letters of their name to finally reveal their name at the end.

It's a really cute and simple story that kids learning all about letters are sure to love!

Me and My Big Brother / My Big Sister

This book is perfect for: siblings – also makes a great gift from the younger sibling to the older one if they are having a hard time with the transition

If you are looking for personalized books with multiple names, this is sure to be a hit for siblings!

Aside from getting to choose the names and look of the characters to match your kids, you can even add a personal photo to the dedication page as well as their ages to the story – which is great for kids who may be struggling with an age difference.

In the book, they'll get a wonderful reminder about the magic of siblings as you grow up. We are absolutely obsessed with this book – it literally brings a tear to my eye each time I read through it!

NOTE: The book is only good for two siblings (no option to add more) and the preview requires you to scroll down, not click through

I'm a Name-O-Saurus

This book is perfect for: toddler and preschoolers who need a lot of movement while reading books!

My son has been obsessed with this book since he was about 18 months old. He LOVES dinos, and LOVES pretending he is one. This book was a huge help in getting him interested in reading as he stomped, roared, and flapped along with each page.

The story follows a child off to a dreamy Dino Land, before they fall back asleep in their bed. Aside from the “bed time” aspect of this book, we do love reading it before bed to get the last minute “zoomies” out during the toddler years.

NOTE: If your child has a longer name (or one that ends a little harsh) you may want to do a nickname for this book – definitely read through the preview to see if you like how it reads! We have a nickname for my son I would've preferred the book with, but my mom got the book and used his full name. He loves it either way of course!

Bedtime For You

This book is perfect for a sweet bedtime routine with toddlers and preschoolers – also works on counting!

Bedtime For You is one of our favorite bedtime books. My daughter had us read it over and over for months when she first got it around 2 years old. Since then (almost 5 years old now), she still goes through phases of wanting to read it over and over.

The sweet rhyming story counts down to farm animals while following the main character in their bedtime routine.

It's a very soothing and calming book with lots of repetition making it perfect for toddlers before bed!

A New Sibling For You

This book is perfect for expecting families with a baby on the way or new baby

When I was pregnant with my second, I had a very hard time finding a “new sibling” book I really liked until Wonderbly's! It's such a sweet story about the fun a new baby can bring, as well as some of the uncomfortable bits.

Overall, it's an incredibly sweet story, with a great reminder about how they'll always be loved. I think during this sensitive time, a personalized book for kids can really help them feel “seen” too.

Princess You The Great / Prince You The Great

This book is perfect for building preschool aged children's self esteem and self worth

My daughter adores this book! And it's a princess book most families can get behind too! One that teaches about characteristics that truly make someone royal.

Kids will learn about the importance of being brave, clever, kind, determined, creative, and curious. When my daughter gets frustrated we remind her she's “princess R the determined,” and watch as she repeats the different princesses back to herself for motivation with such pride.

Dig, You, Dig!

This book is perfect for construction obsessed toddlers and preschoolers + high energy kids

We don't actually own this one yet – but it's pretty similar to the Name-O-Saurus book, with the added bonus of them finishing off the book with their n

In the rhyming book, kids can act out the different actions from the diggers, bulldozers, cranes, and wrecking balls for a great “wiggle” before bed. It's great for kids who may have a hard time sitting through stories as they can engage throughout.

The Wondrous Road Ahead

This book is perfect for building a child's strength and resilience

The Wondrous Road Ahead by Julia Gray is wonderfully illustrated by Adam Hancher and a best seller of Wonderbly's for good reason. It's a longer story taking your child through valuable life lessons and identifying their strengths with a beautiful message at the end.

Kids will love the beautiful imagery and rhyming story that teaches valuable lessons around honesty, determination, kindness, curiosity, bravery, and respect (you'll choose 3 as part of the personalization).

The Christmas Snowflake

This book is perfect for Christmas time and for those seeking personalized books with multiple names

The Christmas Snowflake is an incredibly sweet and heartwarming story about a little lost Snowflake who finds the perfect new home (your's).

The personalization comes in your family's names – so this is great if you want a personalized book the entire family can enjoy! You can add up to 9 personalized names in this book with the ultimate take away being the importance and blessings of togetherness.

Where Are You Book

The perfect personalized seek and find adventure books for kids to adults

Wonderbly's Where Are You books come in a ton of different varieties for the holidays, for a single kid or multiple personalized names (up to 3), grown up editions, mom and dad family adventures, puzzles, time travel, and more!

Honestly, these are a ton of fun and make an excellent road trip toy or airplane travel toy for preschoolers and beyond!

The Book of Everyone Milestone

The perfect personalized book for adults

The Book of Everyone is the perfect personalized birthday present! It's a fun look back at pop culture, history, and more from the year your loved one was born.

The personalization comes in your families names – so this is great if you want a personalized book the entire family can enjoy! You can add up to 9 personalized names in this book with the ultimate take away being the importance and blessings of togetherness.

Wonderbly Reddit Reviews

The Wonderbly Reddit reviews are pretty much all positive that I've seen.

One even asked (5 years ago!!) if they were just a fad, and clearly the concept of having a “my very own name” book has stood the test of time (in my personal experience) and Wonderbly has only continued to grow and improve from my research/experience.

FAQs about Wonderbly

Is Wonderbly a real company?

Yes, Wonderbly is legit. They have been around for over 10 years and have over 40,000 reviews on Trustpilot.

The majority of people love Wonderbly (over 90% of the reviews are positive!); but of course some have issues with misprints (which Wonderbly does cover replacements in their Terms & Conditions) and shipping issues (like we said, it can take a while, one time I think it took about 3 weeks for one of our books).

One more thing to keep in mind with shipping, they do ship globally (not just the US, Canada, and UK) so it's hard to say where issues occur the most.

Who owns Wonderbly books?

Wonderbly was founded in 2012 by four friends: Asi Sharabi, Tal Oron, David Cadji-Newby, and Pedro Serapicos.

They launched with just the Lost Names Book (The Girl Who Lost Her Name and The Boy Who Lost His Name) authored by David Cadji-Newby, and Pedro Serapicos.

They are based out of the United Kingdom.

Does Wonderbly have personalized books for adults?

Yes! Wonderbly offers great personalized books for adults including milestone birthday books, personalized devotionals, as well as one's for parents and couples.

The Personalized Survival Guide for New Parents is absolutely hilarious and The Book of Everyone Milestone is a fun nostalgic read.

Click here to explore them all though!

How long does Wonderbly shipping take and cost?

Generally Wonderbly takes about 2 to 3 weeks to receive in my experience.

Ship time and pricing does depend on where you live. They have a calculator on their website here you can get an estimate with.

Wonderbly books perfectly captured my children's (and my) hearts, even helping my oldest learn to write her own name! Click here + use coupon MULTI20 for a discount!

What age are Wonderbly books best for?

Wonderbly offers books for newborns to adults.

In my experience, my kids began loving these books as early as 18 months (which is when we introduced them). Though I think some of their more complex story books really thrive with the three to six crowd.

Ultimately I think finding the “right” book has to do with your child's age and temperament. Earlier in this post I hand selected a few of my favorite Wonderbly books with a little superlative on “who it's best for” to help you sift through it all quickly.

They also have a great sorting menu on their website to help you find books based on age, occasion, or theme.

Are there other personalized books we can try?

There are Wonderbly alternative for you to consider:

I See Me! Most similar

I See Me! is another personalized book option for kids and pet owners. They focus on their own original books, and don’t currently offer any character books.

However they do have similar selections to Wonderbly. They offer books by holiday/ occasion, birthday, or a new baby. They also have big brother and big sister books for siblings, and books about the family where you can put multiple names. 

I’d say the major differences are that I See Me! also offers books about pets and their customization leaves more to be desired. In the video above, you'll see one of the books primarily just integrates the child name by randomly writing it on the page.

KD Novelties: best personalized Disney books + baby books

KD Novelties offers a huge selection of personalized Disney books, personalized baby books, and more! They even have personalized music and DVDs.

Now with that said, these are probably the lowest quality of all the one's on this list with the least amount of customization in terms of the character. You only really get to select gender in most cases.

Penwizard: popular kids characters

If you didn't find the characters you hoped for with Put Me In The Story, then Penwizard will probably have what you're looking for. They offer personalized Peppa Pig books as well as personalized Paw Patrol books, LEGO, Dora the Explorer, and more.

You can personalize quite a few features from the name, to the look of the character which is really nice. But the illustrations really leave something to be desired here. You also do not get to fully preview the book in advance and returns are only acceptable if there is a damage or defect.

Wonderbly discount codes: 

Wonderbly does offer sales and discount codes regularly; generally up to 25% off! You can click here to see a list of the current Wonderbly coupons and here are some of my favorite Wonderbly discount codes:

• Save 25% with the discount code LITTLEBUNDLE on the First Steps for You collection for toddlers
• Save 25% off two or more books from the Where Are You collection with promo code EPICBUNDLE
• SIBLINGBUNDLE for 25% off on two or three stories
• CLASSICBUNDLE For save 25% off classic stories
• MULTI20 for 20% off two or more books

Are Wonderbly books worth it? 

Yes, we think Wonderbly books are 100% worth it. They are pricier than a standard book, but kids will cherish them for years. I still vividly remember getting my own personalized books at the mall as a child and reading them over and over again.

Beyond that, Wonderbly's collection of stories has something for everyone from newborn personalized baby books, to active and engaging toddler books, and fantastic stories for preschoolers. Adults will also love the hilarious and nostalgic personalized book collection they offer.

These make a unique gift that's sure to be cherished and the quality can't be beat!