“What makes you different makes you special.” That's written in her daughter's book. Her mum wishes she'd had it sooner.
The Gift Authority Editorial Team · 9 October 2026
Selina is the quiet one. When the whole family gets together, she sits in the corner. The cousins run, shout, laugh. She watches.
Last Christmas one of them said it out loud, so everyone could hear: “She never talks. She’s boring.” That night in bed, Selina asked her mum: “Mum, am I boring?” Her mum told us honestly: “I didn’t have an answer.”
The answer came from her grandma, in the form of a book: The Unicorn by Miracles, a personalised picture book in which Selina herself is the heroine.
1. She read the cover. And nodded.
“Isn’t a personalised book just her name on the cover?”
Selina read the title. She nodded slowly, as if someone had finally written something about her. Then, very quietly: “Mum… that’s me.”
It was. Miracles doesn’t just drop a name into a ready-made story: from one photo, the child becomes the illustrated heroine, with her real face in every scene, from the first page to the last. The pictures in this article show the same book made for other girls.
2. A unicorn whose light has almost gone out
“Does the story actually mean something, or is it just pretty?”
In the book, Selina meets a unicorn whose light has almost gone out. Everyone else walks on. Not her. She follows it through the dark forest, all the way to the hidden spring, and gives it its light back.
No battles, no shouting. The heroine of this story is the one who notices what others miss, and stays. For a little girl who has just been called boring, that’s a different way of seeing herself.
Since then, the book has been next to her pillow every night.
3. One year later, the next Christmas
“Can a book really change anything?”
This Christmas the whole family is together again. Her little cousin trips and starts to cry. Everyone else runs on. Only one stops and puts her arms around him: Selina.
A book doesn’t change a child. But it can show her, in black and white and with her own face, that the way she is has value. The strongest aren’t the loudest. They’re the ones who don’t look away.
4. Grandma's words, one photo, a free preview
“How much work is it, and what if I don’t like it?”
The first page carries a personal dedication. Selina’s is a single line, written by her grandma: “What makes you different makes you special.”
Making your own takes a few minutes. Upload one photo where her face is clearly visible, enter her name, done. In about 30 seconds you see a free preview of the finished book, before you pay a penny. If you like it, you order. If not, try another photo.
The softcover is £24.99, the hardcover £34.99. Every book is printed locally and ships within 3 days.
“What makes you different makes you special.” Some children need to read it.
Questions parents and grandparents ask
How fast will it arrive?
Every book is printed locally and ships within 3 days. Delivery after that depends on the shipping option you pick at checkout, so if it is for Christmas, order a little ahead.
What kind of photo do I need?
One regular phone photo is enough. The face should be clearly visible: only one child in the picture, no hat, sunglasses or dummy.
Do I have to pay to see the preview?
No. The preview is free. You see the book with your child in it first and only pay if you decide to order.
Can I write my own dedication?
Yes. The first page of the book carries your personal message, so it is clear for years who gave it.