A heartfelt book can be a special gift for a baby. Personalize this meaningful present by writing a sweet inscription. When the child grows up and sees the loving messages written to her as a baby, she may feel an important attachment to her books and the stories within. The pictures and lessons she learns from her earliest books will stay with her for a lifetime. Writing a meaningful inscription helps include you in these special memories as she grows up.

Keep your inscriptions short and sweet. Write clearly enough so that when the child learns to read, she will be able to read the messages that were written to her with so much love when she was a baby. You only need a few words to tell her sentiments like “Welcome to the world. Enjoy the wonderful adventure.” An inscription is also a good place to share a personal memory about your own association with the book. If you grew up loving this story, you can say so in your message. “This was my favorite book when I was a baby, and I hope you love it, too.”

If the book is about a little duck, inscribe it “to a sweet little ducky.” If the book is about a loving kitten, inscribe it “to a lovely little kitten.” If the book takes place in spring, you can write a note to “a beautiful baby flower.” Take the characters, setting, or themes of the book and use them to make the inscription unique to the gift. If you feel stuck, read the book before you write the inscription. The author's words might inspire you with some good ideas.

Many books for children have an important moral. You can refer to these moral lessons and your wishes for the child in your book inscription. For example, if you are giving the child a book about Paddington Bear, mention the character’s positive qualities. “Dear Lucy, may you be as brave and polite as Paddington. I wish for you to share a similar sense of adventure and a heart just as big.” An appropriate inscription for The Very Hungry Caterpillar could be “All my wishes for you to grow up like the caterpillar, who becomes a beautiful butterfly.”

Use a favorite quote or passage or section from the book as your inscription.

"You know that place between sleep and awake, the place where you can still remember dreaming? That's where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting." – from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“If you are good, life is good.” – from Matilda by Roald Dahl

“I love you right up to the moon and back.” – from Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney