I always hoped that my child would be a bibliophile. Tim and I have filled Darah’s room (and then some) with books. We switch out books the way most other parents switch out toys! She is currently in the phase where she pulls her books off the shelf one by one (when does that stage of life end, by the way?), and will also bring books to us so that we can read them to her. It is the most amazing feeling when she brings a book to me, crawls in my lap and enjoys a good story. And if she really enjoyed it, she’ll ask that I read it again. And again. And again.

I’m thrilled to have our own miniature library at our house. The stories we have range from simple picture books to enchanted stories from fairy tales. These are wonderful to have, but I’ve wondered if Darah might enjoy having a book that is a bit more personal, and that tells her own beautiful story.

Personalized Stories for Kids

My Heritage Book does exactly that! It is a personalized book for children that celebrates the heritage of the child, and tells him/her all about the countries from which his/her ancestors came. Each custom-made, hardcover book can include up to four countries and is written for one American child (though there is an option to include the names of siblings if you want one book for all the kids to share).

While Darah is still too young to fully understand the book, I can tell you that I, as a parent, am delighted with it, and can’t wait to read it to her for years to come. Right now I’m enjoying showing Darah her name in print (her name is throughout the book…SO FUN!) and talking about the letters. We also talk a little bit about the beautiful illustrations in the book. As she gets older, this book will be an AMAZING teaching tool. It will give her a sense of history and geography and a closer look at cultural traditions. I could see us re-creating some of the special dishes or holiday traditions in our own home to show Darah what they are really like. That will be so much fun for all of us!

The creator of the My Heritage Book, Deanna Novak, had a close relationship with her grandfather, who came to the U.S. from Italy. They would often talk about family traditions and about his home country. Deanna has noticed that in most families today, children don’t spend as much time with adults, asking questions about such things, and parents and grandparents often don’t know the answers to some of the questions, especially if their families have been in the United States for several generations. The My Heritage Book is Deanna’s gift to children and their families to help them have a venue for discussing cultural differences with children and what makes each of us unique and special!

Deanna has worked very hard to have a long list of available countries, and she has even more countries in the works, so contact her if one of the countries that interests you the most isn’t listed.

Available Countries
Africa * (continent) Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Barbados Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada China Colombia Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt England Ethiopia France Germany Greece Guatemala Haiti Honduras Hungary India Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan	Lebanon Lithuania Mexico Native America * Native Hawaii Netherlands Nicaragua Norway Panama Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Romania Russia Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Scotland Serbia Slovakia Slovenia South Africa South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Syria Thailand Trinidad & Tobago Turkey Ukraine Venezuela Wales
* Based on customer requests, a more general overview of the cultures and traditions of Africa and Native America are offered. Please ask if there is a specific African country or Native American tribe you are interested in and we will let you know when it can be completed.

Remember, each book can have up to four countries listed in the book. Darah’s book contains information on Ireland, Scotland, Italy and Native America.

Buy it!: This is a FANTASTIC gift idea for children. If I didn’t already have one, I would be completely thrilled to find one under the tree this Christmas! Books can be ordered for $39.95. If you are unsure of the heritage of the child you want to buy this for, you can also order a gift certificate and let the parent place the order! Also, Deanna wants to offer Stuff Parents Need readers FREE SHIPPING! Simply enter the code STUFFPARENTSNEED at checkout and save! The coupon expires 11/01/10.

edit: this giveaway is closed.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need reader is going to win a customized My Heritage Book. Is this your lucky day???? The contest will run until October 19th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me the countries your ancestors come from, if you know!

Additional entries:

1. Sponsor love: “Like” My Heritage Book on Facebook

2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via email or RSS.

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the home page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.