A 70th, 80th or 90th birthday gift: a book about their life
At a milestone birthday everyone looks back. Give the birthday person the chance to tell it themselves. One question at a time, just by talking, and we turn it into a hardcover book, with their real voice included.
- Months of joy capturing stories
- Watch and hear them again via QR code
- Hardcover book with your photos
Grandma & Grandpa proof, 2,500+ stories told, Choose from over 200 questions, A unique & timeless gift
Why this is the loveliest gift for a milestone birthday
Anyone turning 70, 80 or 90 has plenty of things already. At the party the old stories are told again, and everyone says: we should keep these. With this gift, you do.
On the birthday you give the invitation. After that the birthday person gets one question at a time, at a pace that feels right. They talk, we write it out. It becomes a book about a whole life, with a QR code beside every story.
At a glance
- Product: a full-colour hardcover life story book, up to 400 pages, with your own photos.
- How it works: the storyteller receives one question at a time by WhatsApp or email, at a pace you choose, and answers it by talking out loud. The answer is written out automatically as a chapter.
- No app, account or password needed for the storyteller: tap one link and talk. Works in any modern browser.
- Every chapter has a QR code that plays the real, unedited voice recording.
- Price: £49 one-off for collecting the stories and the printed book. No subscription.
- Delivery within United Kingdom, usually two to three weeks after approval.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
How it works
Not a book you write yourself with a pen. Your loved one tells stories over the phone, and we turn them into a book in their own words.
Choose the questions you want to ask
Browse our questions, from childhood to love, write your own or add an old photo. We send one at a time to the storyteller, by WhatsApp or email.
Step 2Grandma & Grandpa proofThe storyteller speaks the answer
One tap on the link and the storyteller can start, with or without video. No app, no password. Rather type? That works too. All at their own pace: a question a week, or more often if they like.
We do the writing
Every answer becomes a written chapter. Choose a word-for-word transcript or a flowing story. You can edit every word.
No fuss with technology. All they have to do is talk.
It arrives as an ordinary message. One tap on the message and they start talking.
Learning to skate
What if they're not good with phones?
They don't need to be. One tap on the message and the question is there. No app, no account, no password.
What if they don't know what to say?
They get one question at a time and say whatever comes to mind, just like at the kitchen table. No writing needed.
What if they slip up?
That's fine. They can pause, start again and play everything back. We take out the slips and filler words.
Photos, stories and their voice, kept together in one book.For the generations after you.
- 1QR code: hear and see them tell it
- 2A photo from back then
- 3The story, written out
What families say
“We cried and laughed together when the book arrived. All those stories from years ago, finally on paper.”
“My mum told me things I had never heard before. The loveliest gift I have ever given.”
“One question each week, and after a few months there was a real book. I had not expected it to be so easy.”
“My dad is no writer, but he can certainly talk. Now the grandchildren read his stories.”
“I thought my life was nothing special. Holding the book changed my mind.”
“With his photo on the cover. Now the whole family wants their own copy.”
More than a book
The book is what remains. This is what happens along the way.
Everything in one price. Kept for generations.
Your book of stories
£49
- One full-colour hardcover book, up to 400 pages
- Finish the book at your own pace
- Every story written out automatically, right away
- Unlimited stories and photos
- Beautiful layouts
- Data stored securely in Europe
30-day money-back guarantee.
A gift card and a letter to hand over
After you order, you print a gift card and a letter with your own message. The letter explains in plain words how it works, with a code the storyteller scans to start.
- Card and letter with your own message
- The code opens the book, no account or password
- Prefer digital? We email the invitation on the day you choose
Questions to tell a whole life
A few examples from our question list. You choose which ones the birthday person gets.
- How did you celebrate your birthday when you were young?
- What is the biggest change you have seen in your life?
- Which year of your life would you like to live again?
- Who taught you the most?
- What do you wish you had known at twenty?
- What are you most grateful for?
For every milestone birthday
Every milestone is a moment to look back. That makes the book fit any age.
60th birthday
Often nearly retired. There is time to look back, and the stories are still sharp.
Retirement
A whole working life to talk about: the first job, the colleagues, what the work meant.
70th birthday
Many people in their seventies love to tell stories, and have the time. A good moment to begin.
75th birthday
Three quarters of a century of stories, from childhood to grandchildren.
80th birthday
Stories about the fifties and sixties, the first home and the first car. Keep them now.
90th birthday and older
An answer of half a minute is enough. The family can help by reading out the question and starting the recording.
More gift ideas for a milestone birthday
Still undecided? These are gifts families often give at a milestone birthday.
- 1.
A book of their own life story
The birthday person talks, we write it out and make a hardcover book, with their real voice included.
- 2.
A photo book of all the years
Lovely to leaf through. Ask what happened in each photo and you have the story too.
- 3.
A party with old friends
Invite people the birthday person has not seen for a long time. Ask everyone to bring a memory.
- 4.
A day back in time
A drive past the house they were born in, the school and the first workplace. Take your phone along.
- 5.
A letter from each grandchild
Let each grandchild write down what the birthday person means to them.
Frequently asked questions
Give a birthday gift that lasts.
Setting up takes about five minutes, and the first question goes out this week.
