A personalized picture book supporting the work of Room to Read

A selection of images from inside our Be Brave! book

About the book

When your child is feeling a teeny-tiny bit nervous about the first day school, they receive a letter from six children around the world, inviting them to visit and learn what it takes to feel confident in their new school.

Accompanied by their helpful, though somewhat clumsy, feathered friend, Bravebeak, your child will be whisked to Nepal, India, Jordan, South Africa, Vietnam, and Honduras.

Each nation is beautifully illustrated by an artist from that country, making Welcome to School a diverse, colorful celebration of the world’s different cultures.

Six illustrators for six countries

To create a book which represents the truly global reach of Room to Read’s programs, each country has been illustrated by an artist from that country.

The different illustration styles give each page a strong visual identity which further enhances the feeling of travel and wonder.

Welcome to School is a wonderful way for your child to learn about and empathize with children going to school across the globe.

Image of an ipad screen where a Be Brave! book is being personalised

What can you personalize?

Seeing characters who look like them is key to increasing children’s engagement with books, and our super fun configurator allows you to create a main character who looks just like your little one.

Options including name, skin tone, hair style, eye shape, clothing, and glasses allow you to create a child that looks just right from thousands of combinations.

Create your character

Format and quality

We have worked hard to create a fantastically high-quality book that features hand-drawn illustrations and a luxurious finish. It is printed on 100 percent recycled paper, though you would never guess it, and it feels as good as it looks. At 38-pages long, the book comes in two formats: softback and hardback.

Dimensions:
Softback: 10.16 in x 8.46
Hardback: 10.43 in x 8.74

Supporting Room to Read’s Mission

Every copy of Welcome to School sold contributes to Room to Read’s mission to end illiteracy and gender inequality across the globe. Room to Read’s educational programs have transformed the lives of 18 million children in low-income communities around the world. Room to Read combines the science of learning to read with the magic of loving to read by publishing children’s books in local languages, equipping schools with stocked libraries, and training educators in how to teach reading effectively. Room to Read mobilizes children’s book publishers in the countries it works in by creating a demand for children’s literature and promoting the growth of local publishing industries.

Even though this book is personalized for each child individually, it will share the joy of reading with children across the world.

Collaboration with Librio

To create Welcome to School, Room to Read teamed up with personalized book publisher Librio. Since its launch in 2017, Librio has created over 350,000 personalized picture books for children in 75 countries.

Using its proprietary technology, Librio was responsible for the book’s creation, production, and order processing as well as the personalized illustrations by its art director, Nicholas Elliott.

Librio has been a proud supporter of Room to Read since 2018 and has donated more than 100,000 books to Room to Read libraries through its More Than A Book program.

How long does it take?

Each book is a unique gift that is printed individually to your specifications.

We require two business days to create softbacks and three business days for hardbacks. Your book is then shipped directly to your door from Librio’s print partners in the US, UK, Germany, and Switzerland.

If you live in the US, UK, Germany or Switzerland, you should receive your order within 7 days.

Other European orders should arrive within 2 weeks.
Orders to the rest of the world should arrive within 3 weeks.

Express orders should arrive worldwide within 10 days.