A story spelled out of the letters of their name
A personalized name book that builds a fresh adventure around the letters and the meaning of anyone's name, with their face on the hero, from toddlers to grandmothers.
A name is the first word most of us learn to read and the last thing we want spelled wrong on a cake. A personalized name book makes it the spine of the story: each letter opens a page, each page adds a turn in the adventure, and the hero collecting them is your person, made from their photo, whether they are three or seventy-three.
Tell us where the name came from, a grandmother, a song, a saint, a country, a typo on a birth certificate that stuck, and we write it in. For a child it doubles as letter practice; for an adult it becomes the story of everything the name has been called across the years. The hardcover includes a dedication page for the naming story in your own words.
A name book that is not a template
Most name books slot the letters into stock rhymes, so every Olivia gets the same octopus. Ours starts from scratch: the letters shape a new plot, the meaning of the name sets the theme, and the character looks like the real person because we drew them from a photo. For a five-year-old it is the first book they read to you. For a new mother, a retiring teacher or a friend with an impossible-to-spell name, it is the rare gift that is about them and nobody else.
Five ways this book could go
Use one as it is, or tell us your own. The story is written fresh either way.
Each letter of their name is a key hidden somewhere in a vast library, and the last one opens their own story.
A name that means light becomes the tale of a woman who goes out to fix the sun after a cloud steals it.
Named after Grandpa, your son retraces the old man's expedition with the same initials stitched on the map.
The letters escape from the cover and your daughter has to round them up before the last page.
Your husband's nickname and his real name argue over who gets to be the hero, and the dog settles it.
Your idea
The stuffed rabbit, the trip to the lake, the sourdough that never rose. Type it in and it ends up on the page.
Start the bookReady tonight, printed in about ten days
Tell us about them
Name, age, what they love, the occasion, and a photo or two. Up to three people or pets in one book, any age.
See the first pages free
We write and illustrate a story around them in the style you picked. Change anything before you pay.
Read it, then hold it
The digital book is yours in minutes. Add the Keepsake Hardcover with your dedication printed on the first page.
Gifting tips
- Tell us the naming story: who picked it, what it means, who they were named after.
- For nicknames, give us both; the story can use the full name and the family one.
- Pick the kindergarten reading level if the goal is letter recognition; skip it for grown-ups.
- A long name gives a long adventure, so painterly or watercolor keeps the pages calm.
One price per book
The Storybook
- Up to 24 pages in any art style
- Their photo becomes the hero
- Online, PDF and a link to share
Keepsake Hardcover
- 8.5″ square premium hardcover
- Dedication and bookplate printed inside
- Ships in 7–12 business days
Not sure of their photo or their favourite things? Send an e-gift and let them make it.
Name books book questions
How does the name shape the story?
Every letter opens a page or a scene, so a five-letter name gives five beats of the adventure and a longer name gives more. If you tell us the meaning or origin, that becomes the theme: a name meaning strength gives a story about being strong, and a name passed down from a grandparent gives one with a family thread running through it.
Is it only for kids learning to read?
No. Children get letter practice out of it, since they see their own name spelled out beside a character with their face. Adults get something else: a book that takes the name they have answered to for forty years and turns it into an adventure. Grown-ups named after a relative, a place or a song tend to get the best plots.
What about unusual or very long names?
Bring them. A name nobody has seen before is a name with a story nobody has told, which is exactly what we want. Long names give longer adventures, double names and hyphens fit fine, and a name from another alphabet can be spelled the way your family spells it. If there is a pronunciation worth teaching, tell us and we work it in.
Can two people share a name book?
Yes. One story holds up to three people or pets, so a name book can star a child with a big sister as guide, or a couple whose names get a chapter each. Families with a new baby sometimes order one for every kid, so the older sibling gets a book about their own name and nobody is left off the bookshelf.
