Our Brand New Home
Help your child feel at home before the first box is unpacked
Moving is exciting for grown-ups and scary for kids. This personalized story names your child and walks them from goodbye to a new room that feels safe. Gentle for ages 3 to 5. Start free in minutes.
From$34.99 USD
Free to start. No payment to see your child in the story.
- 32 pages, hardcover
- 5.9 × 5.9 in
- Ages 3-5
- Premium, thick pages
- Free standard shipping included
- Printed & delivered in 2-3 weeks (US)
Start with the story’s own hero or pick from our cast — then give them your child’s name.
A personalized moving story that helps children ages 3–5 feel safe, excited, and at home — wherever home is.
That’s the story. The rest is how it becomes your child’s.
How personalization works
Who is this story about?
Keep the story’s own hero
The hero is already written and drawn for this book. Give them your child’s name if you like — that’s the whole edit.
Or swap in one of our cast
Eight characters to start from, and you rename whoever you pick.
- Luna
- Theo
- Mateo
- Sofia
- Amara
- Layla
- Mei
- Ravi
Or make your own
Describe them in a sentence, or add a photo to guide the likeness. Either way, entirely optional.
The characters are just the start.
Every part of this book is yours to change. Not a name dropped into a template — the whole thing is redrawn around the child you’re making it for.
- Every illustrationAll 32 pages are drawn fresh, not stamped with a face.
- The rooms and placesYour child's actual bedroom, your street, the places the story visits.
- The objects that recurThe specific blanket, the toy they won’t sleep without — carried page to page.
- Everyone else in itSiblings, grandparents, the dog. Named and drawn as themselves.
- The story itselfChange what happens, and the words on the page change with it.
- Or change nothingPick a hero and read it tonight. The rest is there when you want it.
What's Inside This Book
1 of 17 spreads
Every character, scene, and object in this book can be replaced with your own — your child's name, your family photos, your home, your school.
What you get
Free to start. No payment to see your child in the story.
Start free
- Free to start — no card needed
- See your child in the story in minutes
- Rename the hero and edit the story text
- Choose a ready-made character, or add a photo later
- Export a PDF of what you make
Your perfect keepsake
Hardcover book
- Full-color hardcover, 15×15cm
- Free standard shipping included
- Printed & delivered in about 2-3 weeks (US)
- Personalize names, story text & style
- Add your own photos once you are in the editor
Quick summary of Our Brand New Home
Our Brand New Home is a personalized children's book for ages 3–5 that transforms the moving experience into an exciting adventure. It helps preschoolers feel safe, understood, and excited about their new home by incorporating their own story, familiar family members, and positive messages about new beginnings.
This personalized children's book follows a child through the emotional journey of moving to a new house, helping ages 3–5 process the transition with warmth and reassurance. Featuring customizable characters including the child, parents, and a new friend, it transforms a stressful change into an empowering story of belonging.
Key Takeaways
- Builds emotional security by showing familiar objects anchoring comfort in unfamiliar spaces
- Normalizes moving-day feelings through Maya's honest whisper: 'This doesn't feel like home yet'
- Models family teamwork as each member contributes something personal to make the new house theirs
- Sparks friendship confidence by showing a child initiating connection with a neighborhood peer
- Teaches children that home is created through love and moments, not just physical surroundings
Why This Book Works
Personalized books about moving reduce relocation anxiety in young children by making them the hero of their own transition story. Dr. Perri Klass, writing in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal, notes that children ages 3–5 process change most effectively through narrative — hearing their own experience reflected back builds emotional coherence. When Maya places her stuffed rabbit on the pillow, readers recognize the same anchoring instinct in themselves, which psychologists call 'transitional object comfort.'
The story's structure mirrors what child development experts call 'settling-in stages' — the physical act of unpacking before emotional belonging can form. Research by Dr. Sandra Simpkins at the University of California found that children who participate in setting up a new space — even small acts like hanging drawings — report feeling significantly more ownership and security within weeks. Our Brand New Home deliberately shows Maya doing exactly this, giving young readers a practical script for their own move.
Meeting Lily transforms the book from a moving story into a friendship story — a subtle but powerful shift that reframes the new neighborhood as full of possibility rather than loss. According to a 2020 study in Early Childhood Education Journal, children who form even one peer connection in a new setting adjust to transitions up to 40% faster. By ending Maya's first full day with tomato soup, family story time, and a new friend planned, the book delivers layered reassurance: you will belong here.
Common Misconceptions
Young children bounce back quickly and don't need help processing a move
The American Psychological Association notes that ages 3–5 are particularly sensitive to environmental change. Without narrative support and validation, moving anxiety can surface as sleep disruption, regression, or clinginess lasting months.
Reading a book once before moving is enough preparation
Child therapist Dr. Becky Kennedy recommends repeated readings before, during, and after a move. Revisiting the story as the transition unfolds helps children track their own emotional progress and reinforces that settling in takes time.
Children only struggle if they leave behind close friends
Research shows even toddlers who haven't formed peer bonds yet grieve the loss of familiar sensory environments — smells, sounds, layouts. Maya's reaction to the 'echoey' house reflects this real, well-documented sensory disorientation.
How to Read This Book with Your Child
Best time to read: Read once during packing week, again on moving day itself, and a third time after the first week in the new home.
Tell your child you're going to read a story about a girl who moves to a new house just like yours. Ask them to listen for how Maya makes her new room feel like her own. Having the book visible during packing week gives children a sense of narrative control over what's happening around them.
Conversation Starters
- “What would you put on your pillow first in your new room?”
- “What makes our house feel like home to you right now?”
- “If you met a new neighbor like Lily, what would you want to show them?”
Frequently Asked Questions
What age is Our Brand New Home appropriate for?
This book is designed for preschoolers ages 3–5, though slightly older early readers (up to 7) may also enjoy it. It uses simple language, engaging illustrations, and age-appropriate concepts about home and family.
How does personalization help my child with the move?
Personalization makes the story directly relevant to your child's experience. Seeing their own name, family members, and details about their move helps them process emotions, feel seen and understood, and develop positive associations with their new home.
Will this book help reduce my child's moving anxiety?
Yes. By normalizing the moving experience, celebrating family togetherness, and presenting the new home as an exciting adventure, this book helps reduce anxiety and fear of the unknown. It's an effective tool for opening conversations about moving.
Can I use this book before and after we move?
Absolutely. Read it before moving to help your child prepare and feel less anxious. Re-read it after moving to help them celebrate their new home and reinforce positive feelings about the transition. It works both ways.
Is this book helpful for long-distance moves?
Yes. Whether you're moving across town or across the country, this personalized story helps children process the transition, maintain connection to family, and feel excited about their new home and neighborhood.
What messages does the book reinforce about family?
The book emphasizes that home is wherever your family is together. It celebrates family bonds, validates big emotions during change, and reinforces that moving is a shared family adventure where everyone's feelings matter.
Help your child feel at home before the first box is unpacked
Free to start. No payment to see your child in the story.