Your child is the hero.You choose the story.
Tell us in one sentence what it should be about, or let us suggest three ideas. We write a picture book just for your child and paint them from a single photo.
The preview is free and usually painted in under 15 minutes. You only pay when you order.
from €14.99 · Hardcover €39.99 incl. shipping · Free shipping to 35 countries
Christmas: depending on the delivery country, order between 20 November and 9 December and approve your book right away. See the date for your country
No idea yet? We'll suggest some
And as the mist lifted, Mia stood right at the bow, the first to see the lighthouse burning gold.
Type a name. That's exactly how it appears in the book.
Your story
What should your book be about?
Tap a world and we'll suggest three ideas for your child straight away. Take one, change it or write your own.
- Adventure & discovery
- Animals & friends
- Fantasy & magic
- Courage & big feelings
- Nature & seasons
- Space & machines
- Family & home
- Bedtime
Or start with one sentence, for example:
Everything is optional: with no idea at all, we make up a story for your child.
Quick start
Want to get going right away? Start from one of our stories.
Read a little and pick one as your starting point. We write the story anew for your child: 13 spreads, every one freshly painted.
The Knight & the Friendly Dragon
Personalised with your child’s name
4–7 yrs
Unicorn & the Rainbow Valley
Personalised with your child’s name
4–7 yrs
Journey to the Stars
Personalised with your child’s name
4–7 yrs
Mountain Adventure in the Swiss Alps
Personalised with your child’s name
4–7 yrs
There You Are!
Personalised with your child’s name
1–2 yrs
Deep Beneath the Waves
Personalised with your child’s name
4–7 yrs
From photo to book
From a single photo, unmistakably your child.
Face and hairstyle come from your photo, and it stays the same child from the first page to the last. Drag the slider and see for yourself.
In the book
Your photo← Drag to reveal →
Example: the photo on the left is generated too and shows no real child.
Sample pages from a Heldio story. In your book the little hero is created from your own photo.
Every illustration is automatically compared with your child's portrait.
If a page isn't right, you have it repainted for free: up to ten redraws per book.
A real read-aloud story: with a proper arc, a line to say along, and your child solves the big moment themselves.
No account, no payment. See your child drawn before you decide.
How it works
See it first, then pay.
About ten minutes of input, then we paint your preview. You only pay when you order.
- 1
Pick an ideafree
Tap a world, write your idea in one sentence or start from one of our stories. Add your child's name and age.
- 2
Upload one photofree
One good photo is enough; it becomes the model for every illustration. Siblings, grandparents, a pet and a dedication can join in if you like. People are painted only from a photo of their own; without one they are in the words.
- 3
See the previewfree
With a free account you read the whole story and see the cover and first pages fully painted, usually in under 15 minutes. We email you as soon as it's ready.
- 4
Order and approve
Only now do you pay. Then we paint every page, and for the hardcover you check the whole book before we print it.
From a digital book to a bound hardcover.
See pricing →In every book: 13 spreads, every one freshly painted · a story made for reading aloud · your dedication · siblings and grandparents (painted from a photo of their own) and the pet at no extra cost
Digital
As a PDF once every page is painted: to read on screen, share with family and print at home.
You see the first pages for free before you pay.
Hardcover
Bound hardcover, 20 × 20 cm, 28 pages on silk-matte paper. Plus the whole book as a PDF. Shipping included, no customs charges. About 7–9 working days after your approval in Germany, Austria and Switzerland; elsewhere it depends on the country.
You see the first pages for free before you pay.
Secure payment via Stripe: card, Apple Pay and Google Pay, plus other methods depending on your country, for example TWINT in Switzerland when you pay in Swiss francs.
Grandparent, godparent, or no photo to hand? With a gift card the parents design the book themselves, at the same price.
Our promise
What you can count on.
Printing fault? Reprinted.
You can check every page before it is printed. If the book still arrives damaged or misprinted, tell us within 30 days and we reprint it free of charge. No need to send it back.
Printed close to you
Free shipping to 35 countries. Each book is printed in your country or inside the same customs area, so no customs or import charges. Prices in euros, or in Swiss francs for Switzerland.
See all delivery countries →Your photos stay private
Stored in the EU, never used by us for training, deleted after 30 days. To paint the pictures, your photo goes to service providers, some of them in the USA. We name every one of them in the privacy notice.
Privacy in detail →
Behind Heldio
Hi, I’m Matthias.
I’m the dad of a little boy who has just turned one, and we live near Basel. The idea for Heldio came to me one evening while reading to him: how lovely would it be if he were the main character himself, painted like a real picture book? That became Heldio: from a single photo, a watercolour picture book in which your child is the hero of the whole story.
Matthias, founder of Heldio
More about Heldio →SOFT LAUNCH
Be one of the first 100 families.
We're just getting started: 1 family already on board. For the first 100 families I answer every question myself: write to hello@heldio.ch.
— Matthias, founder of Heldio · from Switzerland
1 / 100
Ready to make your child the hero?
One sentence is enough, or we suggest three ideas. The preview is free; you only pay when you order.