The Present That Was Given Away - the cover, with your child as the heroThe Gift Salma Gave Away
Celebrations

The Present That Was Given Away

Free preview - see your child before you pay
Ages 2-4Ages 4-6Ages 6-8EidKindness
from $14.90free preview first

Your child receives the exact present that was wished for - and then meets someone small and shivering who needs it more. A story about the good kind of hard choice.

Formats and prices for The Present That Was Given Away
FormatPriceWhat you get
Digital$14.90Read tonight, any device
Softcover$38.90Printed keepsake
Hardcover$42.90Premium keepsake

Free preview, no card required - see your child as the hero before you pay.

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  • Truly their faceBuilt from one photo, recognizable across all 12 chapters.
  • 12 illustrated chaptersA real story arc, warm hyper-realistic art.
  • Ready in minutesPreview free tonight - pay only if you love it.
A peek inside

How the adventure unfolds

These are just sample lines. Your book is written fresh for your child - their name woven through every page, with the words, sentence length and tone tuned to their age, and shaped by the story, interests and details you choose.

The wrapping off and the exact right present underneath, held up with both hands.
Chapter One

Exactly the Right One

Your child unwrapped the one present that had been wished for all year, and it was even better than expected.

The wrapping off and the exact right present underneath, held up with both hands.

Somebody smaller in a doorway, shivering, and a child who has clearly just noticed.
Chapter Two

Someone Smaller

On the way home there was a small shivering something in a doorway, and it had nothing at all.

Somebody smaller in a doorway, shivering, and a child who has clearly just noticed.

Walking home afterwards with two empty hands and a completely different expression on their face.
Chapter Three

Lighter Going Home

Your child walked home with empty arms and, strangely, a much lighter feeling than the whole way there.

Walking home afterwards with two empty hands and a completely different expression on their face.

These three sample the opening, middle and ending of a 12-chapter book. All twelve are drawn with your child in them when the book is made: the cover and chapter one free in your preview, the remaining eleven once you order.

Is this the one?

Who the Present That Was Given Away is for

The Present That Was Given Away is the hardest of the Eid stories and the one families come back to. Your child gets exactly the thing they wanted and then meets someone who needs it more, and the book does not pretend the choice was easy. It is bought deliberately, usually by a parent who wants that conversation.

Two to eight, but the moral weight needs about five to land. Younger children will follow the story and miss the sacrifice, which is not a problem. From six it is genuinely affecting, and worth reading when there is time to talk afterwards rather than at the very end of the day.

For Amir, who gave his away at seven and has never once brought it up since.
Every book opens on a dedication page. You write your own - this is one that suits this story.
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Common questions

What age is The Present That Was Given Away for?

The Present That Was Given Away is written for ages 2-8. The story is generated at the reading level you pick during setup, so the same book works at the younger or older end of that range.

How is The Present That Was Given Away personalized?

You upload one photo of your child. That photo becomes the illustrated hero - same face shape, hair and skin tone - and stays recognizable across all 12 chapters. Their name, age and a dedication are woven in too.

How long is the book, and what formats are there?

Twelve illustrated chapters, one full-page illustration per chapter. Digital is $14.90, softcover $38.90 and hardcover $42.90 plus shipping; the hardcover is a 8x8 inch matt-laminated keepsake.

Can I see it before I pay?

Yes. The cover and the whole first chapter - artwork included - are generated free. You only pay if you want the remaining eleven chapters.

Will it actually look like them?

  • Reference portrait: Deep brown skin, tightly coiled hair, age 5The illustrated character kept from it: Deep brown skin, tightly coiled hairDeep brown skin, tightly coiled hair
  • Reference portrait: Fine, fair, barely-there hair, age 1The illustrated character kept from it: Fine, fair, barely-there hairFine, fair, barely-there hair
  • Reference portrait: Straight black hair with a fringe, age 7The illustrated character kept from it: Straight black hair with a fringeStraight black hair with a fringe
  • Reference portrait: Curly ginger hair and freckles, age 4The illustrated character kept from it: Curly ginger hair and frecklesCurly ginger hair and freckles
  • Reference portrait: Round glasses, age 6The illustrated character kept from it: Round glassesRound glasses
  • Reference portrait: Long braids with beads, age 8The illustrated character kept from it: Long braids with beadsLong braids with beads
  • Reference portrait: A visible hearing aid, age 5The illustrated character kept from it: A visible hearing aidA visible hearing aid
  • Reference portrait: A baby with no hair, 6 monthsThe illustrated character kept from it: A baby with no hairA baby with no hair

Skin tone, hair texture and freckles all carried through - including the cases most generators get wrong. See it up close

See inside a finished bookWhat happens to the photoHow we compare

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