Quick verdict:Lost My Name is a great book and a reliable gift. But it’s a template. Every child with the same name gets the same story. If you want a book where every word is written from scratch and the illustrations are created from your child’s actual photo, Paper Lake is the premium alternative. It starts at $69 AUD with local Australian delivery. Try Paper Lake →
What is the Lost My Name book?
Lost My Name is Wonderbly’s original hit. The story follows a child who has lost their name and goes on a journey to find it, meeting characters along the way whose names start with each letter. A child called “Leo” meets a Lion, an Elephant, and an Octopus. It’s a clever concept and the illustrations are good.
The book has sold over 4 million copies and was recently renamed to “The Incredible Intergalactic Journey Home.” The quality is consistent. It’s a reliable gift. But it is a template. Every child named Leo gets the same book as every other Leo. The story is built around the letters of the name, not around the child.
Why people look for alternatives
The most common reasons: the child already has a copy. Or the buyer wants something more personal than a name-spelling adventure. Some parents want the child’s actual photo in the illustrations. Others want a story about a specific topic like a birthday, new sibling, or starting school, rather than a letter-matching journey.
Lost My Name is personalised by name. The alternatives below are personalised by more: the child’s face, their interests, their situation, and in some cases, a completely original story written from scratch.
5 alternatives compared
| Book | Type | Price (AUD) | What makes it different |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper Lake | Fully custom | $69–119 | Every word and illustration created from scratch. Photo-based character. Choose art style and story theme. |
| Imagitime | Photo + template | ~$90 | Child’s photo in illustrations. Template stories. Prints locally in AU. |
| Hooray Heroes | Hand-drawn template | ~$73 | Hand-illustrated. Family members as characters. Birthday and adventure themes. |
| Dinkleboo | Budget template | From $15 | Affordable. Avatar customisation. Wide theme range. Quick AU delivery. |
| Wonderbly (other titles) | Template | $40–65 | Same quality as Lost My Name. Birthday, Christmas, and fairy tale themes available. |
- Type
- Fully custom
- Price (AUD)
- $69–119
- What makes it different
- Every word and illustration created from scratch. Photo-based character. Choose art style and story theme.
- Type
- Photo + template
- Price (AUD)
- ~$90
- What makes it different
- Child’s photo in illustrations. Template stories. Prints locally in AU.
- Type
- Hand-drawn template
- Price (AUD)
- ~$73
- What makes it different
- Hand-illustrated. Family members as characters. Birthday and adventure themes.
- Type
- Budget template
- Price (AUD)
- From $15
- What makes it different
- Affordable. Avatar customisation. Wide theme range. Quick AU delivery.
- Type
- Template
- Price (AUD)
- $40–65
- What makes it different
- Same quality as Lost My Name. Birthday, Christmas, and fairy tale themes available.
Paper Lake: the premium alternative
Paper Lake takes a fundamentally different approach to personalisation. Instead of slotting a child’s name into a pre-written template, every story is written from scratch. The narrative, the themes, the moral. All of it is created uniquely for each order. No two Paper Lake books are alike, because no two children are alike.
The illustration process is different too. Rather than building a cartoon avatar, Paper Lake uses a single photo of the child to create illustrations that actually look like them. Parents can choose from multiple art styles: Pixar-style 3D, soft watercolour, classic Disney, Ghibli, or a custom style. The result carries through every page of the 32-page book.
Lost My Name: same template for every child
Paper Lake: every illustration unique
Sofia
The customisation goes deeper than aesthetics. Parents can specify themes (adventure, kindness, bravery, dealing with a new sibling), include specific morals or messages, and add multiple characters. This makes Paper Lake particularly useful for families dealing with specific situations, like a child starting school, a new baby arriving, or overcoming a fear, where a generic story template would not quite fit.
Paper Lake prints and ships from Australia, which means 7–10 business day delivery for Australian families and no international shipping surcharges. The cover preview and revision process means you can request changes before anything goes to print.
Wonderbly: generic avatar builder
Paper Lake: illustrations from your child's actual photo
Emma
Paper Lake strengths
- +Every word written from scratch, not a template
- +Photo-based illustrations that actually look like your child
- +Choice of art styles (Pixar, Watercolour, Disney, Ghibli, custom)
- +Deep customisation: theme, moral, multiple characters
- +AU-local printing with 7–10 business day delivery, no international shipping
- +Cover preview with revision options before printing
- +32 pages on 170gsm silk paper
Paper Lake weaknesses
- −Newer company. Early reviews are strong, but they don’t have a decade of history yet
- −Higher starting price ($69 paperback, $89 hardcover) reflects the one-of-a-kind work involved
When Lost My Name is the right choice
It’s a great book. If the child hasn’t received one yet, it’s a safe first choice. The name-spelling concept is unique and kids genuinely love finding “their” letters. For a quick, reliable gift under $70 delivered, it’s hard to beat.
It also works well for younger children (ages 1–3) who are learning their letters. The educational angle is real. And the production quality is proven across millions of copies.
Lost My Name strengths
- +Clever name-spelling concept that kids love
- +4M+ copies sold with proven quality
- +Lower price point ($40–65 AUD before shipping)
- +Full book preview before purchase
- +No photos required, simple avatar builder
Lost My Name weaknesses
- −Template-based: every child with the same name gets the same story
- −Limited customisation beyond name and appearance
- −International shipping to AU adds $15–19 and 7–14 business days
- −Fixed art style with no choice
Paper Lake vs Lost My Name: side by side
| Feature | Paper Lake | Lost My Name |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Fully custom story + illustrations | Template with name-based character matching |
| Price | $69–$119 AUD (free shipping) | $40–65 + $15–19 shipping to AU |
| Customisation | Story, art style, theme, moral, multiple characters | Name and basic appearance |
| Illustrations | Created from your child’s photo | Pre-drawn characters matched to name letters |
| Art styles | Pixar, Watercolour, Disney, Ghibli, custom | Fixed per title |
| Delivery to AU | 7–10 business days (local printing) | 7–14 business days (international) |
| Preview | Cover preview + revisions | Full book preview |
| Track record | New (2026) | 4M+ books sold since 2012 |
- Paper Lake
- Fully custom story + illustrations
- Lost My Name
- Template with name-based character matching
- Paper Lake
- $69–$119 AUD (free shipping)
- Lost My Name
- $40–65 + $15–19 shipping to AU
- Paper Lake
- Story, art style, theme, moral, multiple characters
- Lost My Name
- Name and basic appearance
- Paper Lake
- Created from your child’s photo
- Lost My Name
- Pre-drawn characters matched to name letters
- Paper Lake
- Pixar, Watercolour, Disney, Ghibli, custom
- Lost My Name
- Fixed per title
- Paper Lake
- 7–10 business days (local printing)
- Lost My Name
- 7–14 business days (international)
- Paper Lake
- Cover preview + revisions
- Lost My Name
- Full book preview
- Paper Lake
- New (2026)
- Lost My Name
- 4M+ books sold since 2012
When to choose something different
- The child already has a Lost My Name book
- You want the child’s actual face in the illustrations, not a generic character
- You want a story about something specific: a birthday, a fear, a new sibling, starting school
- You want to choose the art style (Pixar, watercolour, Disney, Ghibli)
- You want a story that could not exist for any other child, not just a name-swap
- You’re buying for a milestone occasion (christening, first birthday) and want a true keepsake
The real question
Lost My Name is personalised by name. Paper Lake is personalised by everything: the child’s face, personality, interests, and situation. It’s the difference between “a book with your child’s name in it” and “a book about your child.”
For a casual gift, Lost My Name is reliable and well-priced. For a keepsake that captures who this child is right now, one where they see themselves in every illustration and hear their own story in every word, Paper Lake is worth every dollar.
