The best personalised books for grandparents (2026)
Picture books that star the grandchild, and books that tell the grandparent's own life. What each one is, what it costs, and who it suits.
Who wrote this: Memolio. We make one of the books on this list, so we're not neutral. We've tried to be fair anyway: every price and detail below was checked on each company's own website in October 2026, most recently on 22 October, and each entry says who the book suits and one thing worth knowing before you buy.
"Personalised book for grandparents" covers two quite different products. Most are picture books for a young child, where the grandparent and grandchild appear as characters in a story that was written in advance. A smaller group are books about the grandparent's real life: their childhood, their work, the people they loved. Decide which of the two you want first, and the choice gets much easier.
Short answer: if you want a book about the grandparent's own life, with pictures, Memolio is the one we'd point you to (we make it): the family answers questions in around 30 minutes and every page is painted in watercolour, with their face from a photo. If you want a picture book for a young child, Hooray Heroes and Wonderbly are the best-known.
Quick picks
- Best illustrated book of the grandparent's real life: Memolio, £45 / $55, about two weeks.
- Best picture book, fast: Hooray Heroes, from £49.99 (on sale when we checked), shipped in 3 days.
- Best value picture book: I See Me!'s Grandma and Me, £19.99 in the UK, or Wonderbly's I Love Grandma This Much, from £29.99.
- Best for a grandparent with glasses or a hearing aid: Librio, from £24.99.
- Best long written memoir, if they'll write it themselves: Storyworth, from $69.
- Best for recording their voice: Remento, $99.
- Best if budget is no object: StoryTerrace, a professionally ghostwritten memoir, £2,600 for the Classic package.
Picture books that star the grandchild
These are made for reading aloud to a child. You pick the names and how the characters look. In most of them the story is the same in every copy of that title; Whimbel and LoveToRead write a new one for each order. They're quick, affordable and made to be read again and again.
1. Hooray Heroes
Rhyming books about the bond between a grandparent and grandchild, such as I Love You, Granny. The illustrations are made by human artists, which Hooray Heroes makes a point of.
- Best for: a gift you need soon, from a young grandchild
- Price: from £49.99, on sale when we checked
- Format: 26 pages, softcover or hardcover, A4 landscape
- Speed: they say it's shipped in 3 days
- Worth knowing: the story is about the bond between grandparent and grandchild, not about the grandparent's own life
2. Wonderbly
A large catalogue of personalised books, including I Love Grandma This Much and Grandma, Mummy and Me. You choose names and characters, and some titles let you upload a photo.
- Best for: a good-value book for a toddler to give
- Price: from £29.99
- Format: Grandma, Mummy and Me is 34 pages
- Speed: dispatched in 2 to 4 working days
- Worth knowing: Wonderbly pitches I Love Grandma This Much at children up to about age 4, as a gift from them
3. Librio
Our Magical Bond puts a grandparent and grandchild in a story together. The character builder includes details like glasses and hearing aids, so the grandparent can look like themselves rather than a generic granny.
- Best for: a longer picture book where the grandparent looks right
- Price: from £24.99 on its UK site, printed in the UK
- Format: 36 pages, softcover or hardcover
- Speed: 4 to 7 business days to the UK from the euro site; the UK site prints in the UK
- Worth knowing: characters are built from options, not drawn from photos
4. Dinkleboo
Loves You - Grandparents is a short, rhyming book that tells the child how much their grandparents love them.
- Best for: babies and very young children, on a budget
- Price: £27.99, often on sale for less
- Format: 18 pages, 20 x 20 cm
- Speed: dispatched in 1 to 3 days
- Worth knowing: it's a short book, aimed at children from 0 to 8
5. I See Me!
Grandma and Me is a picture book with the child's name, and you can add up to four photos.
- Best for: families who want real photos in a story book
- Price: £19.99 in the UK, $29.99 in the US
- Format: 22 pages, 8.5 inches square
- Worth knowing: a fixed story for children aged 4 to 8
6. Whimbel
A picture book about one real moment the grandparent and grandchild shared, written and illustrated from your description and photos.
- Best for: turning one favourite memory into a picture book
- Price: $44.99 hardcover, including a $7.99 preview paid first
- Format: 30 pages, 21 x 28 cm hardcover
- Speed: preview in minutes, book in about 2 weeks
- Worth knowing: it tells one shared moment, not the grandparent's life. Priced in dollars or euros
7. LoveToRead
An invented adventure starring the grandparent and grandchildren, drawn from your photos.
- Best for: a story-time book where everyone looks like themselves
- Price: $39.99 hardcover, $14.99 digital
- Format: up to 24 pages, 8.5 inch square
- Speed: ships in 7 to 12 business days
- Worth knowing: the story is made up, and a book holds up to 3 people or pets. Priced in dollars
Books about the grandparent's real life
These books tell who the grandparent actually is. The difference between them is mostly who does the work: the grandparent, the family, or a paid writer.
8. Memolio
Our product. A set of questions about the grandparent's life, answered in around 30 minutes, by the grandparent themselves or by the family, typed or spoken, plus a photo of them. AI writes the story from the answers and paints every page in watercolour, with the grandparent's face taken from the photo. The book reads like a children's book, so grandchildren can follow it, but the stories in it are theirs.
The whole family can be in the story: grandchildren, children, partner. With a photo we paint them true to life; without one, a few words will do. You only need a photo of the person the book is about.
- Best for: a real life story, told quickly, by them or by the family, and painted in watercolour
- Price: £45 / $55 including VAT and free delivery
- Format: 24 pages, full-colour A4 hardcover
- Speed: about 2 weeks end to end
- Worth knowing: the pictures are painted by AI, and the book is short. You review every page first, with up to 50 free regenerations, and nothing prints until you approve it
9. Loreloom
New in October 2026. You write or record a memory of the grandparent and add family photos; AI writes and illustrates it as a picture book, in cartoon, realistic or watercolour style.
- Best for: US families who want a memory illustrated
- Price: $60 including one printed copy and shipping
- Format: 8 x 8 inch, page count not stated
- Speed: made within 24 hours, then up to 2 weeks to print and ship
- Worth knowing: ships to US addresses only, and all sales are final
10. GiftBookStory
You answer a few minutes of questions and AI writes a memoir of around 200 pages, with the grandparent's face on the cover from one photo.
- Best for: a long written book, quickly and cheaply
- Price: £24.99 softcover, £34.99 hardback, delivery included
- Format: about 200 pages, 6 x 9 inch, mostly text
- Speed: 7 to 14 business days after printing
- Worth knowing: around 200 pages written by AI from a few minutes of answers. You see the cover and chapter plan before paying, not the full text
11. Storyworth
Storyworth emails the grandparent a question every week for a year. Their written answers are printed as a book.
- Best for: a grandparent who enjoys writing and will keep it up
- Price: from $69 on its pricing page, with a colour edition at $99 and Unlimited at $199
- Format: hardcover, up to 480 pages (300 in colour), mostly text
- Speed: about a year of writing, then around 10 business days to print
- Worth knowing: the grandparent writes most weeks for a year. English and Spanish only
12. Remento
The grandparent answers questions by speaking, and Remento turns the recordings into written stories for the book.
- Best for: someone who would rather talk than write
- Price: $99 for a year, including one book
- Format: 8 x 10 inch hardcover, up to 380 pages
- Speed: about 21 business days to deliver once the book is finished
- Worth knowing: ships to the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe. English and Spanish only
13. StoryTerrace
A professional writer interviews the grandparent and writes their memoir.
- Best for: a full-length memoir, when budget isn't the main concern
- Price: from £999 (Swift, 60 pages, about 6 weeks) to £2,600 (Classic)
- Format: hardbound, 60 to 120 pages for Classic
- Speed: around 5 months for Classic
- Worth knowing: the most complete result on this list, and by far the most expensive
At a glance
| Book | What it is | Price from | Who does the work | Photos of the grandparent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hooray Heroes | Picture book, fixed story | £49.99 | You, a few minutes | No, illustrated characters |
| Wonderbly | Picture book, fixed story | £29.99 | You, a few minutes | Some titles take a photo |
| Librio | Picture book, fixed story | £24.99 | You, a few minutes | No, character builder |
| Dinkleboo | Short picture book | £27.99 | You, a few minutes | No, character builder |
| I See Me! | Picture book, fixed story | £19.99 | You, a few minutes | Up to 4 photos |
| Whimbel | Picture book of one real moment | $44.99 | You, describing one memory | Yes, drawn from photos |
| LoveToRead | Picture book, invented adventure | $39.99 | You, a few minutes | Yes, drawn from photos |
| Memolio | Illustrated book of their real life | £45 / $55 | Them or the family, around 30 minutes | Yes, faces painted from a photo |
| Loreloom | Illustrated book of a memory | $60 | You, writing or recording a memory | Yes, family photos |
| GiftBookStory | AI-written memoir, about 200 pages | £24.99 | You, a few minutes of questions | One photo, for the cover |
| Storyworth | Written memoir | $69 | The grandparent, weekly for a year | Their own photos, no illustrations |
| Remento | Memoir from voice recordings | $99 | The grandparent, by talking | Their own photos, no illustrations |
| StoryTerrace | Ghostwritten memoir | £999 | A professional writer | Their own photos |
How to choose
If the book is mainly for a young child to read
Pick a picture book. Hooray Heroes if you need it quickly, Wonderbly if budget matters, Librio if you want the grandparent to look like themselves.
If you want the grandparent's own story, and they'll write it
Storyworth, or Remento if they would rather talk. Start early: both take months, and they have to take part.
If you want their story told in an afternoon and painted
Memolio: around 30 minutes of questions, answered by them or by the family, and every page painted in watercolour. Or StoryTerrace, if you want a full-length memoir written by a professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best personalised book for grandparents?
It depends on what you want the book to do. For a picture book a young child can read with their grandparent, Hooray Heroes, Wonderbly and Librio are the best-known choices. For a book about the grandparent's real life, Memolio makes an illustrated one from answers the family gives, Storyworth and Remento build a longer memoir from the grandparent's own answers, and StoryTerrace has a professional write it.
Which personalised grandparent book tells their real life story?
Memolio, Loreloom, GiftBookStory, Storyworth, Remento and StoryTerrace. The picture books on this list use a story written in advance, with the characters personalised; Whimbel tells one real moment.
Can I give a grandparent memoir as a surprise?
With Memolio, yes: the family can answer the questions on their own. The grandparent can also answer them, or you can do it together. Storyworth and Remento need the grandparent to answer from the start, and StoryTerrace interviews them.
Which is the cheapest personalised book for grandparents?
Among the picture books, I See Me! (£19.99 in the UK), Librio's UK site and Dinkleboo are the cheapest, and Dinkleboo is often on sale. Among books about the grandparent's real life, GiftBookStory starts at £24.99 for a mostly written book, Storyworth at $69, and Memolio is £45 / $55, free delivery.
Is this list independent?
No. Memolio wrote it, and Memolio is on it. Every competitor detail comes from that company's own website, checked in October 2026, most recently on 22 October. If something has changed or we've got it wrong, email hello@memolio.io and we'll fix it.
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Prices and product details were checked on each company's own website in October 2026, most recently on 22 October. Several were running sales when we checked, so we show regular prices where we could. Prices change, so check theirs before you buy. If we've got something wrong, email hello@memolio.io and we'll correct it.