Imagitales

How hilarious is this? It's The Boss's head on a cartoon drawing as she stars in her own children's book! Wait, it gets even better!
It's The Boss's head on a cartoon drawing, plus my head on a cartoon drawing, plus text that is personalized with our names (I erased The Boss's real name to protect the innocent) and our own special term for wee-wee! Woo hoo!

You too can participate in this personalization-palooza courtesy of Imagitales. As described on their site, "ImagiTales are fun, fast and easy to create. Imagine personalized children's books that feature your child's name and face on nearly every page! And ImagiTales are more than just fun - they encourage developmental progress and reinforce positive concepts, like potty training and recognizing colors and shapes."

The process involves uploading photos, cropping the heads (their connect-the-dots system is a bit tedious but overall not too time consuming) and inputting a few personalized terms into the text, like names of parents, siblings, favorite toys, etc.

You can get one free e-book (in PDF form), then you must pay $2.95 for each additional e-book. If you want to go all out and receive a paperback version for your child's bedtime pleasure, one copy will run you $9.95. Each paperback is shipped out right away and arrives in 1-2 weeks. An e-book that arrives in your email inbox right away is included in the price of each paperback.

The concept is fantastic. Who doesn't love the idea of his or her name and mug emblazoned across the printed page? My daughter certainly does. With The Boss in her two -year old "Queen's English" phase, her own name is her most commonly employed word. To hear it repeated over the course of an entire story, below illustrations featuring her own adorable head, is a boost to her ever-expanding sense of self-esteem.

The book itself could be improved upon. The 5x7 size is a bit on the small side, and the pages, though relatively sturdy, are unlikely to stand the test of toddler time. There are a few design issues, like an unattractive amount of white space on the cover of "On The Farm," or a head insertion error combined with some politically incorrect verbiage in "Things That Go." See here:

My daughter may indeed choose to fight fires when she gets older, but I hope I don't offend anyone when I say I am not excited about the prospect of her being forced to undergo a sex change operation in order to become a "fireman."

It's this lack of attention to detail that needs to be worked on before I can fully recommend Imagitales. For what they are, the books are fine. It seems unlikely that your child could see his or her name and photo in a real book for less than the $9.95 price tag on Imagitales. My daughter is far less critical than I am, and she enjoys her personalized books tremendously. I also created one as a birthday present for The Boss's four year old friend, and I know without a doubt that she will love it. I just wish the presentation was a little more polished so that her mom and dad would be equally impressed.