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SAY MY NAME

Name: SAY MY NAME
Author: Joanna Ho
ISBN: 9780063205338

by Joanna Ho ; illustrated by Khoa Le ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023

A beautifully empowering declaration.

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Behind each name is a story that spans generations.

Six children of Chinese, Tongan, Persian, Diné, Nahuatl, or Akan descent share the meaning and history of their names. In moving, lyrical prose, the book celebrates the beauty and sounds of each name alongside their culture of origin: “Each syllable, / each sound, / is a building block / in an architecture / constructed over oceans / and across generations.” Every name is laden with meaning and a sense of identity, carrying the hopes and dreams of those who came before. Ho emphasizes that it is therefore monumentally important to pronounce names correctly, for “Anything less / is not / me.” The author builds a strong case that everyone should embrace their names and honor and learn those with which they may not be familiar. Le’s richly colored and textured illustrations perfectly complement the compelling text. Ripe with symbolism, each page features intricate patterns referencing significant motifs from the cultures portrayed, seamlessly weaving together images of the past with the present. The backmatter features a pronunciation guide with additional context for each name and culture. Given its focus on the importance of tones and cadences, the title could have benefited from an audio guide. Still, many will find the phonetic spellings of the names helpful. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A beautifully empowering declaration. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023

ISBN: 9780063205338

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A CITY FULL OF SANTAS
by Joanna Ho ; illustrated by Thai My Phuong

- BOOK REVIEW
WE WHO PRODUCE PEARLS
by Joanna Ho ; illustrated by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya

- BOOK REVIEW
EYES THAT WEAVE THE WORLD'S WONDERS
by Joanna Ho with Liz Kleinrock ; illustrated by Dung Ho

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)