First Day at Dino School
from €37.90 incl. VAT + €6.90 shipping · free from 2 books
30 pages, 20 x 20 cm, your child drawn from your photo on every illustrated page.
Hardcover €47.90 · Softcover €37.90
Your child is the first hero, and up to 3 more: brother or sister, mum or dad, grandparent, another grown-up. €8.00 per extra hero
Personalise this book1 day: we create and check your book · 2–5 days: printing · 3–6 days: delivery
Every book is checked page by page before it's printed.
A kiss in the palm to keep in your pocket, for the first day of school.
What's inside
- 30 pages, 4 of them colouring pages to fill in
- 20 × 20 cm hardcover (softcover too)
- Thick silk paper (170 g)
- A page for grown-ups: tips and questions to talk about
- Your child drawn from your photo on every illustrated page
What makes it different
- Drawn from your photo on every illustrated page, not a cartoon with a name pasted in
- In a Greek book, the name takes its right form in every sentence (του Γιώργου, τον Γιώργο)
- Every book is checked page by page before it's printed
Watch the title change here and on every book on the site. It stays in this browser tab only.
Helps with
Starting school
Starting school: saying goodbye at the gate, carrying a little bit of home all day, and the hello at pick-up.
The tool your child practises in the story
A roar in your pocket
Open a pocket of your child's backpack or coat and do the tiniest, softest roar into it (or a hum, a whisper, your own family sound), then close it up. When your child misses you, they pat the pocket twice and do a tiny roar back: "Pat, pat. Rrrr." Practise at home, use it at every drop-off, and say clearly when you will be back. Some children like to give you one for your pocket too.
For grown-ups
What this story is about
Starting school often means a first big goodbye. In this story your child gets a small goodbye ritual of your own: a tiny roar from home, tucked into the backpack's front pocket. Your child uses it at the gate and again when missing home at rest time, and even shares one with a shy new friend. The missing does not disappear, but your child finds a little bit of home can come along, and you are at the gate when you said you would be.
Three ways to talk about it
- Name the feeling without hurrying it away: "It's okay to miss home. I'll miss you too, and I'll be there after story time."
- Practise the goodbye at home a few times before the first day, so it already feels familiar.
- Keep goodbyes short, warm and the same every day, say exactly when you will be back, and be there when you said.
Three questions to ask
- How did the child in the story feel at the school gate?
- What helped when they missed home at rest time?
- Bo felt shy. How could you help someone who feels shy on their first day?
Practise the tool together: A roar in your pocket
Open a pocket of your child's backpack or coat and do the tiniest, softest roar into it (or a hum, a whisper, your own family sound), then close it up. When your child misses you, they pat the pocket twice and do a tiny roar back: "Pat, pat. Rrrr." Practise at home, use it at every drop-off, and say clearly when you will be back. Some children like to give you one for your pocket too.
If separation stays very hard for weeks, or brings strong distress, tummy aches or poor sleep, it is worth talking to your paediatrician or a child psychologist.
From a photo to the book
One phone photo is all we need. Here is Nina's photo and the cover we made from it.
Invented example: Nina is a made-up child, not a customer. The photo was made for this example; the book was made from it the same way we make yours.
Look inside
Twelve illustrated spreads: the picture on the left, the story on the right. These sample pages show an invented child called Nina.
"Want to play?" Bo nodded, a tiny nod. They built a block tower as tall as a dinosaur's knee. Crash! So they built it all over again. Then Bo laughed. Not a little laugh. A HONK, so big that Teacher Tula's glasses slid right down to the tip of her nose. Nina laughed so hard that the backpack fell over.
After lunch came quiet rest time. The room went still. And suddenly, Nina missed home. Eyes prickly. Chest tight. The backpack came close. Pat, pat. "Rrrr." It came out very small. The missing was still there. But so was the roar. And from the next cushion came a sniffle.
When story time ended, Nina ran all the way to the gate. And there, right by the ferns, just as promised, was the biggest hug of the day. "You came!" "Right here, just like I said." Behind them, Bo honked goodbye. And Teacher Tula's glasses slid all the way down her nose again.
Spread 1 of 3
Inside the book
Twelve illustrated spreads: the picture on the left, the story on the right. This sample uses an invented family to show the illustration style.
Tomorrow, Mia was starting at Dino School! The new backpack was packed and waiting on the chair. But under the covers, a tummy went wobble-wobble. "What if I miss you?" "Then you'll need a home-roar." "A what?" "A tiny roar from home. To take with you. I'll show you."
Who can be a hero
Your child, and more heroes if you like
Your child is the first hero, and up to 3 more: brother or sister, mum or dad, grandparent, another grown-up.
Your child starts school with a goodbye ritual that fits in a pocket.
- Hardcover: €47.90
- Softcover: €37.90
+ €6.90 shipping · free from 2 books
Personalise this book
Styles
Soft 3D
AvailableRounded, softly lit 3D characters with big expressive eyes. Faces stay recognisable: hair, glasses, smile.
Storybook gouache
AvailableMatte, hand-painted colours with visible brush texture and soft edges, like a classic picture book.
Watercolour
AvailableLoose, soft washes of colour with fine ink lines and the texture of real paper.
Pencil and watercolour
AvailableColoured pencil over light watercolour washes, warm and drawn by hand.
Paper collage
AvailableLayers of cut and torn coloured paper, with grain and edges you can almost touch.
Clay
AvailableSculpted from soft modelling clay, like a handmade stop-motion film.
Vintage storybook
AvailableThe look of mid-century picture books: flat shapes, muted colours, a soft printed grain.
Fantasy painting
AvailableRich, painterly fantasy scenes full of glowing light.
Anime-inspired
AvailableClean line art, cel shading and large, expressive eyes.
Pop anime 3D
AvailableCel-shaded 3D with big sparkling eyes and bright, glowing colours.
Bold comic
AvailableThick ink lines, flat bright colours, halftone dots and dynamic angles.
Cute chibi
AvailableTiny bodies, big heads and soft pastel colours.
Formats and prices
Prices include VAT.
+ €6.90 shipping · free from 2 books