"Cause no matter what your name is, no matter who gave it to you, whenever you say your perfect name,
remember that God says your name too."
Kennedy's "How You Got Your Name" is a heartwarming and delightful story, filled with both humor and love. The author skillfully invites readers to reflect on the significance of names and how they come to hold meaning for each person. The book not only sparks imagination but also offers a wonderful opportunity for parents to share the stories behind the names they chose for their children. It's a perfect read for young readers aged 4-8, blending sentiment with a touch of playful charm.

This would be a good beginning of the year book for my unit on identity. It was silly, but serious and will lead to good family homework for kids to discuss with their families.

Unfortunately this title was not for me. I’m glad I read it ahead of time before reading it to my kids.

The art was fun and it was silly. I’m sure kids would enjoy the funny names for kids. However it never really had a moral or lesson.

The sudden religious aspect towards the end was a huge turnoff. We will not be selling it for that reason.

“How You Got Your Name” is a silly and fun story with a strong theme to wrap up the silliness. God sees you and knows your name. What better theme could there be? In all the fun and giggles, the message comes through clearly. Kids will enjoy the over-the-top silliness in this book, and I think they will also cherish the truth that God sees them and knows them and that is all that matters.

This was a fun & quirky read by Trey Kennedy (Check out his funny & clean videos)! The decision process of picking THE name for your child deserves to have a humorous spin on it. 😅 My son thought this was hilarious & wondered if his dad and I thought the same way when choosing his name. The book ends w/ a sweet reminder that God personally knows your name, knows who you are, and that's the most important thing.

*I received a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect premise and concept with several cute, tender and silly, genuinely silly and funny, scenes.
As for the story itself and the focus on one sibling, I have my reservations.
The art style is compelling in many ways; the complex and detailed scenes and the expressions, though it also looks slightly robotic and artificial.

A super silly story told by a mom and dad to their little boy. They basically go about their day and pick out the craziest names at the park, grocery store, etc until they finally come to the perfect name.
The illustrations are bright and engaging. My 6 year old found the names hilarious. So a nice preschool/early grade read!
I received a ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

This book looked cute, but do to how it was sent, I was unable to view the book in order to review it

This one wasn’t for me. It felt mostly silly and nonsensical, and the sudden religious tie-in didn’t resonate with me. Overall, I didn’t find a clear lesson or takeaway.

Thank you, NetGalley.

I received an electronic ARC from Tommy Nelson through NetGalley.
A child asks about their name and the parents share all sorts of humorous options they considered. I love the way Kennedy encourages readers to interact and think about names they like for each location. The colorful artwork adds to the joy as they waited for this child's birth. Then, the book turns more serious as they share that Sam's name fit who he was. They finish by sharing that God knows his name just like he knows each reader's name. An affirming book to show how important each child is.

I really liked the idea behind this book but it wasn't really how I thought it would be, but it was a fun read even if there were an awful lot of silly, rather than funny names (I would have preferred funny ones and so would my daughter as she thought some weren't great at all so it missed the target with her - she was 7 in July)

The illustrations in the book were lovely though and we really liked them, the layout for the book was nice too and the text positioning was great too - it made the book easy to read.

It is 3 stars from me for this one thanks to the great illustrations, the rest missed the spot for me and its a shame - hopefully others will enjoy it more

I absolutely loved this book!

The pictures were great and bright!

The questions at the bottom of every two pages was great! Such a great way to get the kids involved, asking for their opinion and making them think of their own names.

My son's review:
Good book because I like how it said funny things. My name was even at the end of the book! I love that it mentioned God and makes me giggle!

My review:
I absolutely loved this one. Super cute with fun and funny rhymes! I love that it asked questions to boost interactions. We had fun reading and giggling to this book! The illustrations were perfect as well! 5 stars!

I received this ARC from NetGalley and Tommy Nelson to read/review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

My girls liked the story. My 3 year old did wonder why the main character was not a little girl. She did laugh at all the jokes built into the dialogue.

This book is authored by popular comedian and social media video creator, Trey Kennedy. This book is a book detailing how a children received their name. It offered a clue to children as to where parents got their idea for their special name. The father explained how important a name is and how they brainstormed ideas and wrote down lists. They explained how they would go everywhere and invest into naming their kid. They traveled to the playground and park and thought of jungle gym, swing set, seesaw, tubular slide, poo, and much more. They went to the grocery store, park, movies, nature, and all sorts of fun areas. At the end of each suggestion, they would ask questions such as, “what grocery item would make a good name” in order to get our kids to think of new names that they would use. This book is a fun activity book on naming children. They revealed how they came to pick out his name and how it chose him.


This book is a very impactful book on exploring where our names we chose for our kids came from. It’s a fun little activity and discussion we can have with our children reading a bedtime story. I enjoyed how colorful the illustrations were and how everything flowed together. The questions were great in exploring names and made it fun for kids. It provided a way for parents to connect with their children on sharing how they brainstormed their name. I liked he at the end tie God into the book and shared how the Creator even says our name. I would say that it’s written for kids age 3 to 8 and would make a wonderful gift for birthdays and Christmas.



“I received this book free from Thomas Nelson for my honest review.”

The perfect book for a baby shower or "mekici" in the Macedonian way. The book is a journey of how Sam was given his name. Parents were inspirational from everything in their life. From the playground to the grocery store, from musical instruments to the sounds of the mobile phone, from the beauty of nature to the sounds of a cold... But the name is chosen at the end... The book is interactive, so parents can write about their thoughts and wishes. The book can be a souvenir of the unforgettable journey of choosing a baby's name.
Thanks to NetGalley for this opportunity to read this wonderful book.

How You Got Your Name is a humorous and touching book by comedienne Trey Kennedy. Here he celebrates the meaningful journey behind the naming of a child.

This wild ride begins when a little guy asks his parents about how they chose his name. Little ones will delight at the silly names the parents in the story almost picked as they're inspired by everyday things, including playground equipment, the foods in the grocery store, and cell phone sounds… yogurt, swing set, zoomy, huckleberry or achoo! This funny and sweet story ends with a beautiful reminder for kids that God knows their name too.

The illustrations are delivered in vibrant colors with the most happy and expressive faces of the excited parents and children.

This is a great read aloud and lends itself perfectly to be interactive with listeners who can try and guess the character's name with laugh-out-loud funny consequences.

The author has included space for parents to fill out the real story behind their own child's name, making this book a wonderful keepsake for the whole family. It will be the perfect gift for baby showers and birthdays. and for showing your child just how much thought and love went into their own name.

End quote…

“ No matter what your name is,

no matter Who gave it to you,

whenever you say your perfect name,

remember that God says your name too.”


I always like to pair my story time with scripture and I feel Matthew 6: 25-26 lends itself well with How You Got Your Name.

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

I’m conflicted writing this review because I’m a big fan of Trey Kennedy’s! While I love the message and heart of this book, it feels like a family story written for their own home’s shelves more than it feels like something universal. It’s sweet and funny, but the joke gets a little old after the first couple of pages and it seems too long to hold the attention of the target age group. Also, the rhythm doesn’t really hold up when reading it out loud; the words don’t roll off the tongue. I’m sure this book has a place on some shelves — I could imagine that kids who are fascinated in the naming process of their younger siblings-to-be could be charmed by this one, but it wasn’t quite a hit for me and my family. All that said, I hope it does well for the right readers! The illustrations were super well done.

Thanks so much to Tommy Nelson, Trey Kennedy and NetGalley for the eARC!

My favourite board book of the year!

Thank you, Tommy Nelson, for the ARC.

The illustrations! The playful dialogues! The parents! Everything about them telling the kids about how they chose the names of the little ones.

It is so wholesome and playful at the same time. Gave me all the family vibes!

Until you get the book and read it you won’t get the exact satisfaction of what I am saying!

A cute and humorously written and illustrated book about a set of parents on their journey to name their child. They struggle to find the perfect name and search from inspiration everywhere they go (the playground, grocery store, nature, etc). Kids and parents alike will laugh as they read this book. Recommend this book for families for their home library.

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.