Personalized books that make every child the hero of their own story.
Hi! I’m Sue, the founder of Manimal Tales.
A little secret to start: Sue Donhym is a pseudonym. I came up with the name years ago, long before Manimal Tales existed, because I loved the idea of someday writing under a nom de plume. I thought the double entendre was far too good to waste, so I held onto it until I finally had a story to tell.
Manimal Tales began after the birth of my first child. I had spent years working in tech and was ready for something different. I started writing a children’s book as a creative project, and somewhere along the way, that little project grew into something much bigger.
As I began reading children's books again, this time as a parent, I kept thinking about how magical it would be for a child to open a book and truly see themselves inside it. Not just their name, but a character who looked like them, going on adventures created especially for them.
That idea became the heart of Manimal Tales.
Today, we create personalized books for children of different ages, appearances, families, interests, milestones, and occasions. From birthdays and Christmas to brand-new babies and everyday adventures, our books are designed to make children feel like they belong at the center of the story.
My background in technology helped me build the personalization behind the books, but the part I care about most is much simpler: creating stories children want to read again and again.
Every book is made with the belief that stories can help children feel seen, spark their imaginations, and create wonderful memories with the people reading beside them.
Manimal Tales has grown quite a bit since that first book, but we’re still a small business at heart. There are real people behind every order, every illustration, every new story, and every customer email. You might even hear from Sue herself.
Thank you for choosing a small business and for letting one of our books become a tiny part of your family’s story.
Here’s to making every child the hero of their own tale. ❤️
