Question 1

What ages is it for?

Accepted Answer

Written for children aged 2–5.

The illustrations are matched to your child's age as well, so they truly look like themselves rather than like a generic character.

Question 2

Will it really look like my child?

Accepted Answer

Yes — their face, hair and skin, drawn in the book's own style.

It will look like an illustration of your child rather than a photo copied page-for-page. That is the whole craft, and it is why a real person checks every page before you see it. If a page doesn't look like them, say so and we'll redo it before anything prints.

Question 3

How much of the book is actually personalised?

Accepted Answer

Their face on every page, their name throughout.

Your child is illustrated into every page from the photos you upload, and their name appears throughout. The story itself stays the same — it's the same adventure, with your child as the hero.

Question 4

How are the illustrations made?

Accepted Answer

AI places your child in the artwork; our studio finishes every page by hand.

The AI works from the photos you upload. Our studio team then checks and refines each page, and nothing prints until you've approved it.

Question 5

Are the stories AI-generated?

Accepted Answer

No — every story is written by us. AI only illustrates your child into the artwork.

Real people, and parents ourselves. They started as bedtime stories for our own children, Leo and Kima, before they became books.

The one part of the process that uses AI is drawing your child into the scenes from the photos you upload. That's the technology that makes a personalised book possible at all. Every finished book is then checked by a person before it goes to print, and your photos are deleted 30 days after your book arrives.

Question 6

Which languages are available?

Accepted Answer

English and Afrikaans — the whole book, cover included.

Most of our stories are available in both. You choose the language while personalising, and everything is translated.

Question 7

How does ordering work?

Accepted Answer

Three steps: tell us about your child, upload their photos, approve the preview.

Telling us about your child — name, age and who it's from — takes about a minute, right here. After checkout you upload their photos securely in your order, and our studio illustrates them into every page, each one checked by a real person; your preview appears within 48 hours. Nothing goes to print until you love every page.

Question 8

What photos do you need?

Accepted Answer

3–5 clear phone photos of your child's face. Nothing to prepare before you buy.

Good light, face visible, front-on, one child per photo, no hats or sunglasses. Phone photos are perfect. You upload them securely in your order after checkout.

Question 9

I'm a grandparent and I don't have good photos. What now?

Accepted Answer

Ask the parents for three to five clear photos. That's all we need.

Well-lit photos of the child's face are enough — they don't need to be anything special, and a parent's phone will already have them.

Question 10

Can I add a dedication or message?

Accepted Answer

Yes — every book has a dedication page, written in your own words.

It's the page parents come back to years later. You write yours after checkout.

Question 11

Can I send it as a gift?

Accepted Answer

Yes — ship straight to the family, with no prices in the parcel.

Many Picture Me books are gifts from oumas, gogos and godparents. You can add a printed dedication page after checkout.

Question 12

How long does delivery take?

Accepted Answer

Preview within 48 hours, at your door in 7–10 working days.

Once you approve the preview, printing and delivery take another 5–7 working days — anywhere in South Africa.

Question 13

How much is delivery?

Accepted Answer

Flat R99 anywhere in South Africa, and free on 2 or more books.

Order 3 or more and you also get 15% off. The delivery fee is shown in your cart before checkout — no surprises at payment.

Question 14

I want it for a birthday — how far ahead should I order?

Accepted Answer

About two weeks, plus a few days' buffer.

That's 48 hours for your preview, then 7–10 working days for printing and delivery. If it's tight, message us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you honestly whether it'll make it.

Question 15

Can I see the book before it's printed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, always — nothing prints until you've approved every page.

Your preview arrives within 48 hours of sending us your photos. If something isn't right — the illustrations don't look like your child, a detail is off — tell us and we'll redo it. A real person checks every book too, but you have the final say.

Question 16

What if I'm not happy with it?

Accepted Answer

We reprint it or refund you. Money-back guarantee, no fine print.

You approve the preview before we print, so most problems never reach a printed book. If the printed one isn't perfect, tell us.

Question 17

What happens to my child's photos after printing?

Accepted Answer

We delete them 30 days after your book arrives — sooner if you ask.

We hold them for those 30 days only because it is just long enough to reprint if anything went wrong in transit, then remove them from our systems. Ask us to delete them sooner and we will, the same day. We handle personal information in line with POPIA, South Africa's data protection law.

Question 18

Who sees my child's photos?

Accepted Answer

Our small team, and the services that draw your child into the artwork.

That is the whole list — the secure illustration services we use see them, and nobody else does. They are never sold, shared or published, and we never use them in our own marketing unless you tell us we can.

Question 19

How do you keep my child's photos private?

Accepted Answer

Used for your book only, never sold or shared, deleted after 30 days.

Our co-founder has a background in AI and built our identity software in-house rather than handing your child's face to a general-purpose AI tool. The photos are stored securely, the people and services that touch them are the short list above, and nothing about your child is ever used to train a model.

We're parents too, and we think using a child's picture comes with a responsibility to protect it — which is why we'd rather tell you exactly who handles it than say something vague and comforting.

Question 20

Do you use my child's photos to train AI?

Accepted Answer

No — your child's photos are never used to train anything.

We don't train any model on them. They are used to illustrate your book and nothing else.

Question 21

Who actually makes these books?

Accepted Answer

A small family business on the outskirts of Cape Town — parents ourselves.

Picture Me started as bedtime stories for our own children, Leo and Kima, and grew from there.

Question 22

Is Picture Me a real company?

Accepted Answer

Yes — family-owned, near Cape Town, with more than 1,000 books sent.

You can read our Google reviews or see the children enjoying their books on our site and social media. If you'd like to speak to a person before ordering, message us on WhatsApp — you'll get one of us, not a bot, and we'll guide you through the whole process, before and after you order.

Questions, answered

About the books

Ordering & personalising

Delivery & timing

Preview, approval & guarantee

Your photos & privacy

About us

Still stuck? Message us