Your Name Is a Song

July 17, 2020

PreS-Gr 3-This story simultaneously imparts a strong spark of sensibility and envelops readers in a warm embrace through an overdue, crucial lesson about the significance of honoring every individual's cultural identity, including the respectful care to correctly learn another's name. At the end of the first day of school, Kora-Jalimuso, the story's young Black Muslim protagonist, shares her sorrow with her mother over her teacher and classmates' inability to pronounce her name. Her mother's response lifts the girl's-and readers'-spirits by illuminating the resonating meaning and power of diverse names through song. As the gently rendered scenes of this heartfelt talk unfold, Uribe's expressive details capture the musicality of different names. Fine, swooping lines and blooming silhouettes of pastel color flow through each page, matching the mother's musical notes and Kora-Jalimuso's growing sense of understanding and confidence in her ability to pass this lesson on to others. The book concludes with a glossary and a pronunciation guide, emphasizing the beauty and significance of all the names featured. VERDICT For all collections, this is a heartwarming tale with a simple yet critical message of respecting the pronunciation of an individual's name and honoring the importance of identity and cultural heritage.-Rachel Mulligan, Pennsylvania State Univ.

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2020
A girl learns to appreciate her long name and the diverse names of others. A black child wearing cornrows braided into an afro puff watches her classmates in the schoolyard playing handball. Momma arrives, wearing a bright headwrap, and asks about her first day of school. The girl is upset because no one could say her name--not even the teacher. Reflecting the title, Momma tells her to tell her teacher her name is a song. As they walk through the streets, swaying and dancing to the sounds of street musicians and music from cars, Momma sings names from many different cultures. (Each name is spelled phonetically in parentheses for ease of caregivers reading aloud.) The next day, "the girl didn't want to go to school, but she had songs to teach." She even shows her teacher that "Miss Anderson" is a song. This lovely celebration of African American culture, featuring a Muslim family, offers a fresh way to look at the tradition of creating new names; Momma says, "Made-up names come from dreamers. Their real names were stolen long ago so they dream up new ones. They make a way out of no way, make names out of no names--pull them from the sky!" A glossary notes the origins and meanings of the names included in the text, with a note to always listen closely to how a person pronounces their name. The dynamic, pastel-hued illustrations reflect energy and strength. A delightful celebration. (Picture book. 5-10)

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September 7, 2020
A conversation between a girl and her mother distinguishes this poignant second picture book from educator Thompkins-Bigelow. Distraught that her classmates don’t pronounce her name correctly, a Black girl in goldenrod overalls complains to her Ummi, who wears a coral-colored headscarf, on the walk home. Describing the musicality of names, Momma encourages her daughter to “tell your teacher that your name is a song,” and expounds on others: “Take the name, Olumide (O-loo-muh-DAY)./ Olumide is a melody, girl! And so is Kotone (KOH-tow-neh).” With a creative answer for each of the child’s hesitations (“Made-up names come from dreamers.... They make a way out of no way, make names out of no names—pull them from the sky!”), Momma imparts wisdom that her daughter shares the next day, teaching her name’s correct pronunciation by singing it, and classmates’ names, during roll call. In subtly surfaced illustrations rendered digitally by Uribe, the girl traces names—including Trayvon—through a mellow-toned sky. A resonant tale that honors and celebrates a rich landscape of names. Back matter includes a glossary of names featured with pronunciations and origins. Ages 5–10.

July 1, 2020
Roll call can be difficult for a child with an unusual name. A young girl describes how her name "got stuck" in her teacher's mouth and kids "pretended to choke" or "seemed afraid" while hearing it or attempting to pronounce it. As they walk home, Mom reminds her that her "name is a song" and many other names are as well: "Olumide is a melody...Mamadou is a beat." She also imparts a lesson about descendants of enslaved Africans in the U.S.: "Their real names were stolen long ago so they dream up new ones." When the girl returns to school, she sings the names of her teacher and classmates, then her own name: Kora-Jalimuso. Throughout the story all names are followed by phonetic spelling. Names are represented visually as colorful swirls and air currents, stars, or fiery sparks through which the girl's mother lovingly leads her. A glossary of names, meanings, and pronunciations is included, by which we learn that the girl is named for a "harp of a female griot," a person who "passes on oral history through song." A bighearted, reassuring book that imparts a simple yet important message: we all deserve to have our names pronounced correctly.

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2020
Roll call can be difficult for a child with an unusual name. A young girl describes how her name "got stuck" in her teacher's mouth and kids "pretended to choke" or "seemed afraid" while hearing it or attempting to pronounce it. As they walk home, Mom reminds her that her "name is a song" and many other names are as well: "Olumide is a melody...Mamadou is a beat." She also imparts a lesson about descendants of enslaved Africans in the U.S.: "Their real names were stolen long ago so they dream up new ones." When the girl returns to school, she sings the names of her teacher and classmates, then her own name: Kora-Jalimuso. Throughout the story all names are followed by phonetic spelling. Names are represented visually as colorful swirls and air currents, stars, or fiery sparks through which the girl's mother lovingly leads her. A glossary of names, meanings, and pronunciations is included, by which we learn that the girl is named for a "harp of a female griot," a person who "passes on oral history through song." A bighearted, reassuring book that imparts a simple yet important message: we all deserve to have our names pronounced correctly. Julie Hakim Azzam

(Copyright 2020 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)