Written by: Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow.

Illustrated by: Luisa Uribe.

Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl’s mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. This is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names. (From GoodReads.)

Credit: Aya Khalil. Have you read our Q&A with Aya?

This is a beautiful story about a girl who is frustrated when no one at school can pronounce her name properly. Her mother teaches her about the musicality of names from a multitude of cultures and inspires her daughter to share this knowledge with her class and teacher at school the following day. It’s a beautiful story about the power, importance and beauty in a name.

Submitted by: Jenn.