Personalized children's book at Epcot celebrates holidays around the world

Epcot long has offered a global view of the holidays, and now the park offers something special that allows kids to read about holidays around the world, too.

kidsHeritage, Inc., the company that creates custom books for children and which has a retail site at Epcot, has a new offering for the holidays. “My Sleigh Ride Around the World” takes readers to different countries to learn about the local traditions for celebrating the holidays.

“It is a great fit with Epcot’s beautiful Holidays Around the World celebration,” author Deanna Bufo Novak told me recently. “Now, guests can take some of that magic home with them.”

The holiday book can be personalized with a child’s name, birth date, and photo, as well as the gift-giver’s name, date of journey and country of departure. A personalized copy of “My Sleigh Ride Around the World” costs $39.95, or guests can choose the standard version for $18.95.

This book and the two others — “My Heritage Book” and “ABC’s Around the World” — are available in the company’s new location inside Heritage Manor Gifts at The American Adventure. Personalized copies are created on the premises and typically are ready in 30 minutes.

“I believe strongly in teaching children about heritage, other traditions, and world culture,” Novak said. “This was a natural progression after my first two books, and with the holidays approaching, it was the perfect time.”

Not only do readers learn about varied customs, but Novak also has included pages that allow each child to further personalize his or her book by writing about favorite holiday traditions, what he or she is thankful for, and gifts he or she would like to give. The author said she hopes these pages remind everyone what the holidays are all about.

Parents, grandparents and teachers are frequent customers, Novak said. “Teachers are personalizing the books for themselves to use in their classrooms,” she said, adding that the holiday book is a multicultural exploration of the holidays and is, therefore, appropriate for a diverse student body.

“My Sleigh Ride Around the World” will be for sale as long as quantities last.

Novak often can be found working in Heritage Manor Gifts, especially Fridays and Saturdays, and is happy to autograph books when asked.

“I am incredibly thankful to get to do what I love so much, to be able to do it in Epcot, and to receive all of the wonderful feedback I do from guests,” she said. “It really is a dream come true for me!”

To read more about “My Heritage Book” and “ABC’s Around the World,” please see my previous post.

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