Toy of the month – October 2014

This month, (sorry I know I am a little late for October!), I am super excited to review a stunningly illustrated personalised book by lostmy.name. I was introduced to this company by an awesome friend of mine,  who had seen them on Dragon’s Den in the UK. I was kindly given a book by them to review for the blog.

In looking at the personalised kids book on their website,  what I adored most were the illustrations. They were so beautifully creative and I knew my youngest son would adore reading a book all about his name.  Plus what child doesn’t love a story that includes dragons, unicorns, and even a Narbalek?!

I clicked on the “Create your book” section on the website and added in Hudson’s name and that he was a boy and you can also add in a personal dedication for the first page of the book.

A few weeks later our book arrived in Australia.

What struck me first about lostmy.name is how the company started, it is run by 3 dads and an uncle. All fathers that I know, love reading stories to their kids and these men have taken it to the next level. They have created and published their own book! One of the fathers, Pedro, has illustrated it and one of the other father’s, David,  has written the story.

I was in awe as I always love to support small business and people who take that next step in life, realise their dreams and just do it! These fathers have certainly done that.

The book upon arrival is even better in the flesh than on the website. The paper has a soft matte finish which is great for small fingers. It  has been digitally printed on environmentally friendly paper by a company that is carbon neutral and recycles 99% of the waste, associated with printing the book. Clever thinking lads!

But it is once you read the book that you start to love the book even more. The rhyming sentences on each page alongside the gorgeous illustrations are a treat. They have really taken the time to create a stunning book that will be loved, cherished and treasured by your child and you.

The premise of the book, naturally given the title, is that the child wakes up to find he/her has lost their name and so begins the search to find it and meet lots of wonderful creatures along the way. the book, the little boy or girl finds all the letters that makes up their name and for my little boy, he happily finds his name, Hudson.

My son adored reading this book. He poured over the illustrations and clapped and smiled for joy that the book had his name in it. “Really, it is for me, Mama?”  he said. He was over the moon to read a book that had him as the starring character.

What I love about this book is that it has been created by fathers, it is gorgeously illustrated and wonderfully written, and it is a book that your child will want to read over and over, as it is a book all about him or/her. It would make a fantastic birthday present, birth present for a baby, Christening gift, naming ceremony present or Christmas gift.

As a parent, I  love that the book helps to teach your child about the letters in their name and what animals represent each letter. Although I have to say I am still not sure what a Narbalek is?

Designed and printed in England.

Ages: 2 -6.

RRP: AUSD $33.95.

Great for: storytelling, literacy and learning to recognise and spell their name.

Disclosure: in order to review this personalised book, we were given a copy of the book as a gift.

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