The Day the Wheels Came Off - the cover, with your child as the heroMarisol Takes the Wheels Off
Life Milestones

The Day the Wheels Came Off

Free preview - see your child before you pay
Ages 2-4Ages 4-6Ages 6-8Learning to ride a bikeBravery
from $14.90free preview first

The little wheels come off in the morning, and for most of the day the bike is entirely against the idea. Then, quite suddenly, it is not.

Formats and prices for The Day the Wheels Came Off
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.

Two small wheels lying on a driveway beside a spanner, with a bike leaning nearby.
Chapter One

Two Wheels Fewer

The small extra wheels came off after breakfast, and the bike immediately felt twice as tall.

Two small wheels lying on a driveway beside a spanner, with a bike leaning nearby.

The wobble, the stop, the foot down, and the getting back on, all in one frame.
Chapter Two

Wobble, Stop, Again

Your child wobbled and stopped and started again more times than anybody was counting, which was the point.

The wobble, the stop, the foot down, and the getting back on, all in one frame.

Riding, unmistakably and unaided, with a considerable stretch of empty path already behind them.
Chapter Three

Suddenly Riding

Then somewhere near the lamppost the wobbling stopped happening, and your child was simply riding.

Riding, unmistakably and unaided, with a considerable stretch of empty path already behind them.

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 Day the Wheels Came Off is for

The Day the Wheels Came Off covers a single afternoon and most of it is failure. The stabilisers come off in the morning, the bike objects for hours, and then it suddenly works. It is bought for the child in the middle of that afternoon, and it is honest about how long the middle takes.

Two to eight, useful between four and six. It assumes the stabilisers have actually come off, which makes it a book with a date on it rather than a general one. Reading level chosen at setup; the middle chapter is repetitive on purpose and can be read fast.

For Amit, who fell off eleven times in one afternoon and counted every single one.
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 Day the Wheels Came Off for?

The Day the Wheels Came Off 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 Day the Wheels Came Off 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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