IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
by Creations by You
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Toys and Games Reviews of IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
Customer Review: Your little author will have a ball with this!
Summary: 5 Stars
My 8 year old daughter is not the princess/fairy/doll type of girl. She'd much prefer to write a short story, complete with her own illustrations. After having a few completed masterpieces sitting about the house, my daughter lamented that she wished she could have it published 'like a real book'. So my search began, and ended, with this product. She received it as a Christmas gift, and almost immediately began working on her story (titled 'I'm a Superhero!'). Following the simple, clear instructions in the package, we were able to send off our manuscript for publication. It did take a little bit to receive the completed product back; in fact, I even emailed the manufacturer to inquire about it as I was worried it may have gotten lost. Never fear, though, it arrived shortly afterward, and my daughter was thrilled with the hardcover book which she had written, illustrated and designed (by choosing the book color, fonts, etc.) I love the 'About the Author' page too, and it's so worth it get it printed with your child's picture. Imagine her face when she sees it! We even purchased a second one to give to her on her birthday, and this time we tried the internet option. The advantage here is that you can make the text of each page as long as you want, instead of the rather restrictive 20-word limit per page on the mail-in version. The drawback, though, is that the drawings will not have that kid-drew-it innocense since the illustrations are also made on the computer. Having done both versions, I think we'd stick with the internet version from now on, so she can write more and more complex stories as she gets older. For a child who loves to write and draw, what better gift could they receive than the ability to publish their very own hardcover book? Something that they - and you as the parent - will cherish for years to come!Customer Review: Very Impressed with Illustory
Summary: 5 Stars
My 5yo received this kit as a birthday gift. The kit contains about 30 or so pages, each with a designated space for the illustration and lines at the bottom for the handwritten text. It included markers, a postage paid return envelope, directions, and a guide on how to write a story (who are your characters, what is the conflict, how will the story end). To avoid having to pay for additional pages, since only 20 words are allowed per page and the whole story must be 12 pages or less, we storyboarded my DDs story on our own.
This is a big project. My DD spent 4 days, maybe an hour or so each day. I don't know what the average time spent would be, but she put a lot of effort into the drawings. She and I enjoyed the project from start to finish.
I was impressed with the completeness of the kit and the email contact from the company from start to finish. Illustory sent emails when the manuscript was received and when it was shipped. We received the book in less than 2 weeks from when we sent it in though based on the info included, this was a very fast turnaround.
My DD was so pleased with the result. The book is made of the actual pages submitted which surprised me (though I think there is an option to upgrade). Some of the marker bled through to the back of the pages but this didn't bother my daughter or me. The cover is well made and the typewritten story exactly matched the manuscript with no typos. The dedication page and author bio page are great and included free.
I totally recommend this for other new short story writers. When 20 words per page won't cut it anymore we'll probably look elsewhere to create books. For beginners this is an excellent product put out by a great company.
Customer Review: A great gift
Summary: 5 Stars
I had gotten this for my daughters 7th birthday, she was always finding bits of paper around the house and trying to write stories on them. She absolutely loved the gift. I had her start writing the story out on regular paper and then I helped her get it going when she was done. I made sure to count all her words and after we got the story down on the papers I told her that all she needed to do was draw a picture of what was happening in the story on that page. She did a great job. I finished filling out the paperwork and sent it in. I received an e-mail letting me know that they had gotten the story and that her book would soon be here. When she got the book she said was very pleased with how her book turned out. There were no miss spelled words and the pictures looked great! It looks absolutely beautiful, she brought it to school and everywhere. I plan on getting another illustory for her this year as well.
On the topic of miss spelled words...there is a box that you can check to have them keep the spelling the way it was written (in the case that your kid wrote it out and spelled something in a very unique manner and you wanted to keep it that way forever!)
Customer Review: Inspire Your Child
Summary: 5 Stars
My son was very excited when he received this as a Christmas gift. He loves to read and draw and is quite imaginative. I thought this would be a fun project for him. I let him create his story and illustrate at his own pace. It certainly wasn't something we completed in one sitting. He really enjoyed the process. Once we sent it out, we received his bound book about a few weeks later(a lot faster than anticipated).
My son was over the moon and thanked me profusely when he received the final product. It looks great! Nicely bound with wonderful reproductions of his artwork and accurate text. He is so proud of his work. He took it to school to read to his class and we've read it at home just about every day since he received it. He is especially tickled by the "About the Author" feature at the back of the book with his photo and personal information - just like in a real book.
I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed this project and what a great creative, educational and self-esteem building experience it has been. He's dying to do another one... how can I say no?
Customer Review: Second time buyer - daughter loves this.
Summary: 4 Stars
They include a set of markers and paper. Be aware of the extra fees associated with writing on too many pages. Read all their papers carefully and count everything. They added on fees, contacted me by mail which slowed down the process, and they should allow more pages for the price. My daughter did this years ago, and now at 11 she did again and still loves this. This is a great idea and I am not sure if anyone else offers such a product. The first book went smoothly. The second book they spelled her name wrong, and the return process was really awful. They reprinted the book, and although they fixed the typos throughout the book (ones that my daughter didn't spell incorrectly, ones they did), the condition of the book when they shipped it back was beaten up a bit on the spine, but I don't want to go through the process of returning again based on the experience the first time. If they improve their customer service with the typos, improve the marker set, and shipping situation, this company would do much better. I doubt I would do this again even though my daughter loved it.