A world wakes up for them.
A herald animal opens their chosen world and calls out that someone new has arrived.
ACT I · THE ARRIVAL
A one-of-one custom hardcover
When You Were Born
4.8
Starting at $59
10K+ books made
A premium birth keepsake where the animals of a chosen world — Safari, Ocean, Woodland, Farm, Arctic, Mythical, or Surprise — parade in one by one, each carrying a letter of the baby's name, until the whole parade shouts it aloud. The baby's real birth date, birthplace, photo-likeness, and a loved one's own wish are woven through every page.
Ages 0–3New Baby
Create their birth story
Ships within 7 days. Love-it guarantee.
The proof · real books, real reactions
4.8·Loved by readers
No two books alike. Every one its own.
5.0
"Every other name book I found just swapped the child's name into a template. This one actually opens with the morning she arrived in our city. That detail alone made it worth every dollar."
4.9
"The Safari animals parading in one by one with each letter of his name is exactly as joyful as it sounds. My son demands the elephant page at least twice every sitting."
5.0
"I ordered the Woodland world for my granddaughter and the hedgehog carrying her first initial made me tear up. My wish for her at the end felt like I'd actually written it into the story."
4.8
"We read it together and my partner and I kept waiting for the next letter to march in. By the time the last animal arrived and the whole name lined up, my daughter was clapping."
5.0
"I gifted this to my best friend three weeks after the birth. She cried when she reached the page with her daughter's birthplace and the message I'd written. It's personal in a way most gifts are not."
4.9
"The Arctic world was our pick and the polar bear herald is magnificent. We've read it every night since it arrived and my son points out his name letters before I even turn the page."
5.0
"Wonderbly did our first child and it felt like a word search with pictures. This one is a real story: a morning, a place, a parade, and the wish I left for him at the end. No comparison."
4.7
"Took about a week to arrive but the quality is excellent. Thick pages, bold color, and the cover has a real keepsake feel. I've put it on the shelf with the hospital bracelet and his first photo."
5.0
"My niece is six months old and she already grabs for the bright animal pages. The rhyming text is bouncy enough that I find myself reading it in a rhythm without trying."
4.9
"We've had name books that were just alphabet placeholders. This feels like a record of the day she arrived — city, date, her face, our wish. That's a keepsake. The parade is the fun delivery mechanism."
5.0
"We chose the Ocean world for a water-loving family and the whale herald opening the book is stunning. Each fish and sea creature carrying a letter felt whimsical and warm at the same time."
4.8
"My mother-in-law ordered this and included a note she had written. Seeing her actual words woven into the book near the end made it a keepsake of her love, not just a commercial product."
5.0
"The Farm world was perfect for our family and the rooster opening the parade at dawn on the morning of the birth tied everything together beautifully. My husband read it twice in a row."
4.9
"Four letters in her name meant a tight, punchy parade and the book still felt complete and full. The illustrators know how to build tension and release it even in a short name."
5.0
"We handed this out at the christening instead of paper announcements. Every guest got to read the parade and find out the story of the morning she arrived. Best decision we made."
5.0
"Every other name book I found just swapped the child's name into a template. This one actually opens with the morning she arrived in our city. That detail alone made it worth every dollar."
4.9
"The Safari animals parading in one by one with each letter of his name is exactly as joyful as it sounds. My son demands the elephant page at least twice every sitting."
5.0
"I ordered the Woodland world for my granddaughter and the hedgehog carrying her first initial made me tear up. My wish for her at the end felt like I'd actually written it into the story."
4.8
"We read it together and my partner and I kept waiting for the next letter to march in. By the time the last animal arrived and the whole name lined up, my daughter was clapping."
5.0
"I gifted this to my best friend three weeks after the birth. She cried when she reached the page with her daughter's birthplace and the message I'd written. It's personal in a way most gifts are not."
4.9
"The Arctic world was our pick and the polar bear herald is magnificent. We've read it every night since it arrived and my son points out his name letters before I even turn the page."
5.0
"Wonderbly did our first child and it felt like a word search with pictures. This one is a real story: a morning, a place, a parade, and the wish I left for him at the end. No comparison."
4.7
"Took about a week to arrive but the quality is excellent. Thick pages, bold color, and the cover has a real keepsake feel. I've put it on the shelf with the hospital bracelet and his first photo."
5.0
"My niece is six months old and she already grabs for the bright animal pages. The rhyming text is bouncy enough that I find myself reading it in a rhythm without trying."
4.9
"We've had name books that were just alphabet placeholders. This feels like a record of the day she arrived — city, date, her face, our wish. That's a keepsake. The parade is the fun delivery mechanism."
5.0
"We chose the Ocean world for a water-loving family and the whale herald opening the book is stunning. Each fish and sea creature carrying a letter felt whimsical and warm at the same time."
4.8
"My mother-in-law ordered this and included a note she had written. Seeing her actual words woven into the book near the end made it a keepsake of her love, not just a commercial product."
5.0
"The Farm world was perfect for our family and the rooster opening the parade at dawn on the morning of the birth tied everything together beautifully. My husband read it twice in a row."
4.9
"Four letters in her name meant a tight, punchy parade and the book still felt complete and full. The illustrators know how to build tension and release it even in a short name."
5.0
"We handed this out at the christening instead of paper announcements. Every guest got to read the parade and find out the story of the morning she arrived. Best decision we made."
Loved by parents from communities including
Inside the story
Inside When You Were Born
One by one, the animals of their world parade in — each carrying a letter of the baby's name — until the whole crowd shouts it out loud. Their real name, their real day.
The letters march in.
Animal by animal, letter by letter, their name builds across the pages — real birth date and birthplace woven in.
ACT II · THE PARADE
The whole name, out loud.
The parade lines up, the full name lands, and a loved one's wish closes the book.
ACT III · THE NAME
No two parades are alike — their name, world, and wish make a one-of-one birth story.
A finished story. Yours is still waiting.
This book belongs to someone. Yours will be its own.
Every Sundayfawn includes
Custom story + artwork
Built from the names, photos, pets, memories, and little details only their people would know.
8.5×11 hardcover
A real 38-page printed storybook with a spine — made to be held, read, gifted, and kept.
Digital fast. Hardcover next.
Your finished digital book arrives in ~20 minutes, and the hardcover ships in ~7 days.
Love-it guarantee
If it does not feel right, we make it right — or your money back.
How yours gets made.
It's as simple as one, two, three.
Tell us about them
A photo, a name, a favorite thing, a phrase, or a memory — just enough for us to make the story feel like theirs.
~10 minRead it tonight
Their finished digital storybook is usually ready in about 20 minutes.
~20 minHold the hardcover
We print the 8.5" × 11" hardcover on premium paper and ship it in about 7 days.
Ships within 7 days
One brief · One book · About a week
The Sundayfawn difference
Other books add their name.We create their story.
Built from their photos, family, pets, personality, and favourite things.
The others
Usual book
sundayfawn
One-of-one
The story
An existing story with names added
Written from scratch around the details you share
The characters
Choose from preset avatars
Illustrated from real photos
Their world
Fixed scenes and supporting characters
Their family, pets, memories, places, and favourite things woven in
The final book
The same story personalized again
A one-of-one story created around them and the people they love
The one to get.
sundayfawnNot their names in someone else's story.Their whole world in a book of its own.
Hardcover · 8.5″ × 11″
Made to be kept
A real hardcover, made for the family bookshelf.
An original story paired with a substantial full-colour hardcover — plus a photo keepsake made from the real people, pets, and memories behind it.
The specifications
- 018.5″ × 11″Large-format hardcover
- 0238 pagesFull-colour storybook
- 0380 lb coated paperPremium interior stock
- 04Matte case-wrapDurable hardcover finish
- 05Two-page photo keepsakeAdd up to six real photos
- 06Digital edition includedRead the complete book digitally
The photo keepsake
A little piece of real life, kept inside the story.
A two-page spread inside every book. Upload up to six real photos.
Made to be kept
A real hardcover, made for the family bookshelf.
Every Sundayfawn pairs an original story with a substantial, full-colour hardcover and a personal photo keepsake made from the real people, pets, and memories behind it.
- 018.5″ × 11″Large-format hardcover
- 0238 pagesFull-colour storybook
- 0380 lb coated paperPremium interior stock
- 04Matte case-wrapDurable hardcover finish
- 05Two-page photo keepsakeAdd up to six real photos
- 06Digital edition includedRead the complete book digitally
The photo keepsake
A little piece of real life, kept inside the story.
A two-page spread inside every book. Upload up to six real photos.
Hardcover · 8.5″ × 11″
The details
Questions about When You Were Born
How the baby's name parade is personalized, what details to include, and how the keepsake comes together.
We personalize the animal world, parade cast, letter reveals, and wished message using the details you share. The baby's name shapes the parade sequence. The chosen world — Safari, Ocean, Woodland, Farm, Arctic, Mythical, or Surprise — defines the animals and setting. The baby's real birth date and birthplace become part of the opening frame. A loved one's personal wish is woven in near the end of the parade, so the keepsake carries both the joy of the name reveal and the warmth of the message behind it. This is not a finished story with their name inserted. The story, characters, scenes, illustrations, and personal details are created from one family's brief for one recipient, making their exact book one-of-one.
When You Were Born is personalized for children ages 1–8. We adapt the writing to the recipient's age and reading stage. Younger children receive fewer words per page, shorter sentences, repetition, and a simpler story rhythm. Older children receive richer vocabulary, more story detail, and longer passages. The premise remains the same, but the language, pacing, sentence structure, and amount of text are adjusted to feel right for the child it is made for. It works especially well as a newborn gift and grows into a bedtime favourite through the first two years, with bouncy rhyming text that invites reading aloud from day one.
On the morning the baby arrived, a herald animal spread the news and the parade began. One by one, animals from the chosen world march in carrying each letter of the baby's name — until the whole parade lines up and shouts the name aloud. The baby's birth date, birthplace, and photo-likeness anchor the story in the real moment, and a loved one's own wish lands near the end. The result is a joyful, bouncy keepsake that is genuinely about the birth — not just a name lookup dressed up as one.
Share the baby's full name, birth date, and birthplace; choose the animal world (Safari, Ocean, Woodland, Farm, Arctic, Mythical, or Surprise); describe the baby's appearance for their photo-grounded portrait throughout; and write the personal wish you want woven near the end. The giver's relationship to the baby — parent, grandparent, aunt, godparent — can also shape the tone of the wish and how it lands on the page.
Yes. Siblings, parents, grandparents, friends, pets, and even favorite stuffed animals can be woven into the story when they matter to the recipient. We use the strongest details naturally, so the book feels like a real story rather than a list of names. The giver's personal message is a core part of the story, not a dedication page aside — it arrives as the parade reaches its finale.
We create their illustrated character from the photographs you upload, using recognizable details such as their hair, skin tone, facial features, and overall appearance. The result is a storybook interpretation of them—not a photograph pasted into the artwork.
Upload clear, recent photographs where their face, hair, and important features are easy to see. Natural light, front-facing views, and a few different angles work best. Avoid heavy filters, sunglasses, distant photographs, screenshots, or images where their face is covered.
Every Sundayfawn is protected by our love-it guarantee. If your book does not feel right, contact us and we'll make it right or refund your order.
Your order includes: • An 8.5″ × 11″ hardcover storybook • A matte case-wrap cover • 38 full-colour pages • Premium 80 lb coated paper • The complete digital edition • A two-page photo keepsake featuring up to six real photographs of the people, pets, and memories behind the story.
Your complete digital edition is typically created in about twenty minutes. Once approved, the hardcover is prepared and ships within seven days. Delivery time after shipment depends on the destination and shipping method selected at checkout.
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