Questions people ask us

A clear, well-lit photo of your child looking at the camera, with no sunglasses, hat or filter. An ordinary phone picture is fine.

Yes. Start a gift and choose “No, ask their parent”. We send the child’s parent a private link to add the photo. You preview and pay once it’s ready. The parent never pays.

Yes, if it’s a photo you’re allowed to share. Add it when you start the gift, and we email the child’s parent a private link to approve it. Nothing is drawn until they sign their consent. If they say no, or don’t answer within 7 days, we delete the photo and let you know kindly. Once they say yes, you see the drawing first, and the parent still approves the finished book before it prints.

Yes. After you order, we make every page and email you the finished book. Nothing is printed until you approve it.

Yes. JPG, PNG and iPhone HEIC photos all work.

Ask for another version (you get 3 in total), or send a different photo. If it still isn’t right, write to us and we’ll help. You never pay for a drawing you haven’t approved.

Yes. Every page is made from the one drawing you approve, and we check each book before it’s printed.

Skin tone and hair first, since those are what other companies most often get wrong. Then glasses, freckles or anything else your child is known for. We ask you to tick those off before you say yes.

Yes, and you don’t need a card for it.

Not yet. Each book stars one child for now. Siblings are the thing parents ask for most, and pets come next.

Most order a book for each child, often two different stories so nobody argues over whose is whose.

Printing takes 3–6 business days after you approve the finished book, then 7–8 days in the post with tracking. That’s 11–19 days door to door. From mid-November to early January our printer is busier, and printing can take 7–10 business days instead. The arrive-by date you see before paying already allows for this.

Yes, for US addresses. The price you see is the price you pay: it includes sales tax where applicable. There’s no subscription, and nothing renews.

Not yet. We only ship within the US for now, so there are no customs fees waiting at the door.

8.5" × 8.5", 32 full-colour pages. Softcover is $39.99 and hardcover is $49.99, shipping included.

We write them for ages 4–6. Each story page says which ages it suits best.

No. We retell the original folk and fairy tales in our own words, with our own illustrations.

Our stories are retold from the old public-domain tales. AI helps with the first draft, and a person edits every line. Your child is drawn into the illustrations with AI, from your photo. The rest of each picture is drawn with AI help. We check every page before you see the finished book.

No. We don’t use your photo to train AI.

Use the link in your preview email, or write to hello@tallytells.com. Either way, photos are deleted automatically within 72 hours of upload, or sooner when you approve the drawing.

Yes, and it’s free. At checkout, tick “Add a gift page” and write who it’s to, who it’s from and a short message. It’s printed inside the book after the dedication, and the book is still 32 pages. You see it in the preview before you pay.

Not yet. Our printer can’t wrap books, and we’d rather not promise something we can’t do well. You can add a free gift page inside the book and a gift message on the packing slip, and prices never appear in the box.

No, but you can start a gift instead: you pick the story and write the dedication, and the child’s parent adds the photo.

Send us a photo within 30 days of delivery and we’ll print a new one free. You don’t need to send the first one back.

You can cancel for a full refund any time before you approve your finished book. After printing starts, we offer free reprints instead of refunds.