How Many Pages Should a Children's Book Be?

You've decided to make a personalized book for your kid. Birthday gift, maybe. Or something to help them through a big change. Or just because you want them to see themselves as the hero of a story.

Now you're stuck on: how long should this thing be?

The answer is probably shorter than you'd guess.

Forget What You Know About Bookstore Picture Books

Those 32-40 page books on your shelf? They're built for a different job.

Mass-market books need to hook kids who have zero connection to the characters. They need enough story to justify a $19 price tag. They're competing for attention on a crowded shelf at Target.

A book starring your kid doesn't have any of those problems.

Your Kid Is Already Hooked

Here's the thing traditional authors don't have: your child sees their own face on page one. Their name. Their stuff. They're not sitting there wondering "will this get interesting?" They're already in.

You don't need 40 pages to build investment when you start with it.

What Actually Happens With These Books

Think about how personalized books get used in real life:

• Unwrapped at a party, read aloud while everyone watches
• Requested at bedtime, every single night, for weeks
• "Read" independently by your kid to their stuffed animals
• Pulled off the shelf years later and laughed over together

Long books don't help with any of that. Shorter ones work better for all of it.

16-24 Pages Is Usually Right

Here's why that range works:

It fits bedtime. Most parents have 10-15 minutes. A 20-page book fits. A 40-page book becomes "we'll finish tomorrow" and that breaks the spell.

Kids can handle it alone. A 3-year-old can flip through a short book on their own, pointing at pictures, "reading" to themselves. Hand them something thick and they give up halfway.

No filler. When you only have 20 pages, every illustration matters. Every line earns its spot.

It gets re-read. The books kids love aren't the longest. They're the ones that get requested over and over. Less friction, more favorites.

"But Won't It Feel Too Short?"

I get it. More pages feels like more value.

But would you rather give your child a 40-page book they read twice, or a 16-page book they read forty times?

The personalized books that become keepsakes aren't the ones that take forever to finish. They're the ones that fit so easily into bedtime that they become part of the routine.

By Age

Ages 2-4: 12-16 pages. Attention spans are short. Seeing themselves is enough. Simple sentences, big pictures.

Ages 4-6: 16-24 pages. They can follow a simple story now but still want pictures on every page. This is the sweet spot.

Ages 6-8: 20-28 pages. You can add more text, but illustrations should still anchor every spread.

Ages 8+: Honestly, the magic of personalized picture books peaks around 6-7. Older kids often treasure the ones made when they were little more than new ones.

Why Are Store Books 32 Pages Then?

A few reasons that don't apply to you:

Printing. Publishers print in specific page multiples. That's their constraint, not yours.

Shelf presence. Thicker spine stands out at the bookstore. You're not competing on a shelf.

Universal appeal. They need to work for millions of kids. Yours only needs to work for one.

How We Think About This at CustomHeroes

When we built CustomHeroes, we tested different lengths. Talked to parents. Watched how kids actually interacted with their books.

The ones that got loved to pieces weren't the longest.

So we designed ours to:

• Finish in one sitting
• Fit bedtime routines
• Work when kids flip through alone
• Make every page count
• Become keepsakes

The length isn't the gift. Seeing themselves as the hero is. We just make sure nothing gets in the way.

Create Your Child's Book

Tell us about your kid, their name, their look, what makes them them, and we'll create an illustrated storybook where they're the hero.

Short enough for bedtime. Special enough to keep.