Just before Christmas, I was asked if I'd like to review a Lost My Name book with Pierre. You might have heard of them because last year, Lost My Name secured £100,000 from communications entrepreneur Piers Linney, in BBC One’s Dragon’s Den. Lost My Name now hold the record for the highest-ever investment in terms of valuation in the history of the Den, which is rather impressive.
I've reviewed personalised books before so I thought I'd know what to expect. Usually the child's name and possibly a couple of details - your home town or a sibling or best friend's name for example - is slotted into the text but that's as far as it goes. In these innovative Lost Name books, the whole concept is completely different - the entire story is based around your child's name so each story is unique. Right from the opening page, a sense of magic prevails. The personalised introduction says : "Dear Pierre, We meet a lot of magical and wonderful creatures throughout our lives. These are just the first. We hope you meet a whole lot more."
In the story, the little boy (or little girl - you can choose) has forgotten his (her) name and goes off to rediscover it. He meets a whole host of mystical and enchanting creatures who each give him the first letter of their name - for example a rabbit gives an R and an imp gives an I.
Depending on your child's name, you might come across a glamorous Ostrich, a sleep-deprived Bear, a Viking who yearns to bake, a Zebra torn between spots and stripes and many, many more. Don't worry if your child has more than one of the same letter - Pierre has two Rs but they apparently have several spares for each letter so they don't need to double up.
Pierre knows how to spell his name but he was so enchanted by the story and the bright, cheerful illustrations that he didn't twig that it was spelling out his name until we turned to the final page and there it was in all its glory. His face was an absolute picture and he was very proud to learn that the whole book centred around his name !
There is a girl's version available too and these would make a really special gift for any child. It's a totally unique concept, very different to the other personalised books on offer.
Lost My Name was written by BBC comedy writer David Cadji-Newby and illustrated by respected Portuguese visual artist Pedro Serapicos. Each book is printed on thick, environmentally-friendly paper and bound by hand.
They're expensive compared to other picture books but they will be cherished as a keepsake for years to come, if not forever !
star rating : 5/5
RRP : £18.99 (free shipping)
for more information : http://www.lostmy.name
Disclosure : I received a book in order to write an honest review.
This looks fantastic!
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