Birthday gift for your dad: a book of your memories together

Many dads say "don't get me anything". They still receive a bottle, a tool, a beer box, and thank you politely. A book telling your story together is different: it doesn't wear out, it isn't consumed, and it gets read at home on a Sunday.

The principle is simple: your two faces are drawn from two photos, and a story is written from your memories. It isn't a photo album where pictures are lined up, and there's no speech to give.

Fathers talk little about what they did, but they remember the details. A few ideas for the story:

• ✦ DIY: Saturdays in the garage, the toolbox you weren't allowed to touch, the shelf put up crooked and still standing.
• ✦ The car: dawn departures, unfolded road maps, the radio you had to listen to until the end.
• ✦ Vacations: the tent, the beach, the "almost there" drive, the photo he's out of frame in.
• ✦ The times he was there without saying so: the move, the driving test, the call at midnight.
• ✦ What he taught you: a way to fix things, to be patient, to say no.

The tone can be funny. A book about a father works better with a well-placed joke than with three pages of gratitude.

• ✦ 50: the kids leave, a new rhythm begins. Tell what he carried, and what opens up.
• ✦ 60: retirement is on the horizon, sometimes grandchildren. A good moment to look back.
• ✦ 70 and over: passing things on. The gestures, the sayings, the family stories to write down before they're forgotten.

For more ideas by decade, see our page milestone birthday gift.

If his birthday falls on an ordinary date, you have all the room for a precise story: an age, a year, a dated anecdote. If you're looking for a gift for the third Sunday of June, our page Father's Day gift covers that occasion.

For more ideas around him, see personalized gift for him and family gift.

The book always keeps two heroes: your dad and you. The other children are mentioned in the story, with their names and their mischief. One person places the order, and the others send them anecdotes to slip into the story.

If each child wants their own book, the best answer is one book per pair: a dad and each of his children.

For a father, three styles often work: vintage, which recalls old photos, film noir for movie fans, or American Modern. To compare all six, see which illustration style to choose.

A dedication can be added and printed in the book: just write to us after you order. See our book dedication ideas.

1. Choose the style. The free preview shows the duo drawn before you order.
2. Add two photos: one of your dad, one of you, faces sharp and front-facing.
3. Tell the story. A questionnaire guides you: where, when, what makes you laugh, the moments to keep. Ten to fifteen minutes is enough.
4. Review. You have 48 hours to read the book and ask for changes. Nothing is printed without your approval.

The book always keeps two heroes; other people are mentioned in the story.

• ✦ Digital: €39, ready in about 2 hours (24 hours at most).
• ✦ Signature: €59, a 30-page printed book.
• ✦ Prestige: €129, a 40-page printed book.

You review the book for 48 hours with up to 10 free revisions, then printing and delivery take 5 to 7 days. Nothing is printed without your approval.

For a birthday, allow about ten days between ordering and delivery of the printed edition. If the date is close, the digital one can open the same day.