Personalised Krishna storybook with your child as Kanha's friend

You pick 3 photos and answer a few short questions. We draw your child on every page, in a style that keeps Kanha in his traditional look, flute and peacock feather included. Your child is always Kanha's friend in the story, never Kanha himself.

Print it as a softcover or hardcover when you love it.

1. Cover and dedication

2. A morning in Gokul

   A peacock feather drifts in through the window and your child follows it to Gokul: cows by the Yamuna, gopis churning butter, and the whole village waking up.

3. Meeting Kanha

   Little Kanha greets your child by the name you call them at home. Your child brings along the treat they love most, makhan-mishri unless you pick another.

4. The missing makhan pot

   Yashoda Maiya's butter pot has disappeared. Your child and Kanha search the courtyard, the cowshed and the kadamba tree. The clues use what your child loves right now, so a cricket fan counts balls and a dinosaur fan spots footprints.

5. Finding it, and sharing it

   The word you chose for your child, brave, kind, curious or another, is what cracks the case. When they find the pot, Kanha shows them the best part: sharing the makhan with friends, the calves and even the cheeky monkeys.

6. Flute under the kadamba tree

   Kanha plays his flute and teaches your child one small tune. The cows come close to listen. A quiet, gentle page that works well at bedtime.

7. Back home

   Kanha gives your child a peacock feather to keep. They wake up at home on Janmashtami with the family celebrating your way: a pooja at home, a temple visit or a big get-together.

8. A note for grown-ups

   A short closing page that retells the makhan and flute stories simply, with a line on how families and regions tell them in their own ways, and a few things to talk about together.

1. What's your little one's first name? Add the name you call them at home too, and tell us if the hero is a he, a she or they.
2. How old will they be in this story? 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6 or 7 to 8
3. What do they love most right now?
4. Pick one word that is so them: brave, kind, curious, funny, chatty or gentle
5. What does your child call Krishna at home? Kanha, Krishna, Bhagwan, or type your own
6. Their favourite festival treat? Makhan-mishri, laddoo, kheer, or something else
7. How does your family celebrate? Pooja at home, temple visit or a big family get-together
8. Who is this book from, for example Mumma and Papa, or Nani?

• Janmashtami, for a child who loves Kanha stories
• Bedtime reading for ages 2 to 8, all year
• A gift from Nani, Dadi or a mausi with roots in mind
• Families abroad who want Indian stories at home
• Birthdays and Children's Day, when you want something other than another toy

• Indian folk-art frames inspired by Pattachitra, Madhubani and Warli, with your child drawn in a soft illustrated style inside
• Soft watercolour picture-book, our pick for ages 1 to 5 and bedtime