(1) K-3 Illustrated by Susan Gal. It's Zachary's baby sister's first Shabbat, and the whole family is on their way to the synagogue for her naming ceremony. As they bump into people throughout their diverse neighborhood, a sweet pattern emerges: a neighbor asks the baby's name; Zachary is bursting to tell, but the family answers with a nickname (e.g., "Little Babka"), since her real name won't be announced until the ceremony; the neighbor is then invited along. At the ceremony itself, in which Zachary plays an active role, the happy suspense culminates in the reveal of an aptly chosen name. This welcome, positive, inclusive story (the family is interracial and has two mothers) portrays a child infectiously excited about a new sister and about a Jewish ritual. Vibrant illustrations depict a synagogue bathed in warmth and light through stained-glass windows and a cheerful neighborhood complete with palm trees and colorful flora; even a rainstorm doesn't break the joyful mood. An author's note discusses the varied traditions around Jewish baby-naming ceremonies.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(2) K-3 Translated by Lawrence Schimel. Illustrated by Juan Palomino. An unnamed narrator relates how she learned to read as a child in her coastal Afro-Colombian pueblo. In Palenque: "Letters were in kitchens, on tables, and right in front of everyone's noses, but nobody read them," except for Señor Velandia, owner of the only shop in town, depicted stoically reading a newspaper. Along with the weekly boat delivery of provisions for the town arrive love letters addressed to the narrator's older sister, Gina, from a long-distance admirer. Spurred by her curiosity about the letters' contents, the narrator entreats Señor Velandia to teach her to read in exchange for help in his shop. Slowly but determinedly, using the names of relatives and customers, she learns the letters of the alphabet and passes on the gift of literacy to others--an endeavor she continues into adulthood--by drawing letters with charcoal on the ground. Letters are ubiquitous in Palomino's earth-tone digital illustrations, from newsprint to a "Welcome to Palenque" sign along the riverbank to the colorful embroidery on Gina's holiday dress. The historical context underscoring the narrative and the significance of the setting--Palenque is a village founded by people who escaped enslavement--is explained in Vasco's author's note and reinforces this quietly empowering ode to literacy.

Reviewer: Jessica Agudelo | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2023

(2) 4-6 Japanese American Aoi Inoue takes to heart her sixth-grade teacher's advice ("You can be anything you want to be") and decides she wants to be called Annie, after years of answering to mangled pronunciations of her name. She also wants to be Annie, as in Little Orphan, and auditions for the part at the local community theater. So does her white best friend. Who gets the part and who actually deserves it spur an evolution in Annie's awareness of racism in her community. In this ultimately uplifting story set in 1980s Topeka, Kansas, Brown (While I Was Away) describes the painful racism the Inoue family faces and their differing experiences of living in the United States. Annie's professor dad is continually grateful for the opportunities he'd never find back home in Japan. Her mom, who struggles with English years after their move, is less enthusiastic. Brown conveys the dynamics of their bilingual household in small moments: one evening, Mom speaks to Annie in Japanese, "too tired to even practice her English," while Annie answers her in English, "too excited to use [her] Japanese"; younger sibling Tak understands almost no Japanese and often asks his sister to translate overheard parental arguments. While Annie's voice gets a little teacher-y at the end as she wraps up all she's learned, the newfound friendships and opportunities she earns are a warm and welcome outcome. An author's note is appended.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(1) 1-3 This third, standalone installment of the Miller family saga (The Year of Billy Miller, rev. 9/13, and sequel) is told from four-year-old Sal's point of view. It's New Year's Day, and there's simply too much going on for Sal. She can't find her favorite pair of underwear; visiting Uncle Jake calls her "Salamander," a nickname she hates; and the new baby, a week after being born, is no longer exciting or even cute. She's boring. Even worse, the baby has displaced Sal as "Mama's favorite." It's not going to be easy to be a big sister to the as-yet-unnamed sibling and a little sister to eight-year-old Billy. "It is so hard to be me," Sal thinks. But if Sal is at times overwhelmed by life's complications, she is part of a loving family that takes her emotions seriously and includes her in their day-to-day decisions. Sal even ends up contributing the name for the baby, albeit inadvertently. Henkes is a master at probing the mind and heart of a young child, writing with gentle humor and affection. Black-and-white spot art embellishes pages and adds to an already rich character study of young Sal. Readers will hope that as the Miller family members grow, so will the series.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Magdalena Mora. "There is a whole world in my name. I carry it with me. It's heavy carrying your whole world around with you all the time." After the young narrator leaves home for life in a new country far away, her once-beautiful name morphs into something ugly when her teacher tries to pronounce it at school roll call. Her name--soft, comforting, and reminiscent of her beloved grandmother--becomes "strange," "sharp," or, worse, "like something breaking." Adding to her feeling of foreignness: no one else's school lunch contains a large tomato to be eaten whole. Eventually, the narrator and another girl bond over their shared love of the color yellow and become friends. Soon she has a circle of friends who have learned to pronounce her name so that it "sounds like home." Double-page spreads in ink, pastel, and crayon highlight the initial contrasts between the narrator's old home and her new one. Illustrations focus on food and family, the book's visual metaphors for difference, while the color yellow becomes a visual through-line for the theme of connectedness. A comforting book for a child who may feel isolated due to an uncommon name, or for one feeling uprooted and adrift in a new place. An author's note provides personal context.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2022

(2) YA How do you define yourself when your name tells many stories about your identity? Seventh grader Meilan's name in Chinese can have many connotations. As "Basket" in her family, she feels the weight of responsibility: "I'm the carrier of their dreams and hopes and desires." When the Hua family's ties are severed after the passing of Meilan's grandmother, the family's bakery is sold and she and her parents and grandfather make a sudden move from Boston's Chinatown to small-town Redbud, Ohio. A gifted storyteller who weaves lively tales inspired by Chinese folklore, Meilan finds her vibrant inner world dissipating. She is re-named Melanie by her principal in a misguided attempt to ease her transition into the new school; and when an assignment compels her to investigate her ­grandfather's experiences as a veteran of the Vietnam War, his presence at school is met with anti-Asian bias. Through unearthing his story, however, Meilan discovers the specific origins of her name--and, satisfyingly, the strength to proudly stand her ground. Wang (Watercress, rev. 3/21) presents an earnest portrayal of an Asian American daughter in an immigrant family finding her voice in ­predominantly white, small-town America. Taiwanese cultural heritage plays a strong role in Meilan's world through her mother's colloquialisms, her father's Chinese ­pastries, and the mythical Chinese creatures she imagines into her new environment. Back matter includes a note about transliteration, "Māma's Meanings," and further reading.

Reviewer: Kristine Techavanich | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Julie Benbassat. Over sixty unusually named animals are grouped by such descriptors as "magical," "fierce," and "delicious." In addition to the usual suspects (naked mole rat), plenty of less-well-known species--including the long-wattled umbrellabird and striped pyjama squid--broaden the book's appeal. Illustrations and photographs enliven the pages, which include solid information about each animal's habitat, behaviors, and physiology. Discussion about species naming protocol will be appreciated by interested readers. Conservation organization websites are listed; a glossary is appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) PS Illustrated by Luisa Uribe. 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.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Juana Medina. When a baked-potato-loving woman decides to get a dog, she finds a "smooth" and "warm" pup and names him Baked Potato. When the lady goes out, the dog goes looking for her, and a series of encounters leads him to realize he is not, in fact, an actual baked potato. Medina's digital illustrations use color and line effectively; and though the details are quirky, the arc of Primavera's story is familiar and comforting.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(3) K-3 With vibrant mixed-media illustrations and playful interactive text, this book presents thirteen different animal species and their unusual collective names: "a conspiracy of lemurs," "a flamboyance of flamingos," etc. Animals are pictured in various poses and described by loosely rhyming verse while additional questions ("Who's sleepy?"; "Who's waving?") encourage readers to linger and examine each colorful spread. Further information on the animals is appended.

Reviewer: Erica Wetter

(3) K-3 Translated by Mara Lethem. Illustrated by Chiara Carrer. The lives of seven disadvantaged children who share the same name and live throughout the Americas are highlighted in short, almost poetic snippets translated from the Spanish. Each Pablo has his own unique struggles and sources of hope. The evocative colored- and graphite-pencil illustrations underscore a somber mood and evoke readers' empathy for the boys.

Reviewer: Katie Darrin

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Natalie Nelson. In each of fourteen dapper mixed-media spreads, Lukoff christens an animal group with a collective noun reflecting their attributes--e.g., "The ostentation of peacocks suspected an intruder in their midst" shows a modestly plumaged bird crashing a peacock party. Some readers of this There Is a Tribe of Kids read-alike may wish for a spread-to-spread narrative link; most will revel in the clever wordplay.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) K-3 Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela feels self-conscious about her long name until her father tells her about the family members after whom she is named. The pictures--grayscale print-transfer illustrations with soft textures--steal the show in their depiction of the sweet closeness between Alma and her father as well as her connection to her ancestors. Also available in Spanish.

Reviewer: Megan Dowd Lambert | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2018

(3) 4-6 Middle School Story series. Illustrated by Stephen Gilpin. Michael and David first bonded in preschool. The nicknames Pottymouth and Stoopid, respectively, follow the boys to middle school. After years of taunting from mean kids and clueless adults, vindication finally comes--but not before a TV show based on them makes things worse. With lots to say about bullying, this comedy, illustrated with Gilpin's caricatures, is more serious than it first appears.

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ella Bailey. A girl struggles to pick the perfect name for her new cat: Jane? Rambo? Mr. Maestro? Fed up, he runs away; his return improbably involves a trip to the zoo, a (gorilla) replacement, an art heist, and a feline sleuth. The girl's oblivious first-person narration plays it straight, allowing pastel-toned illustrations full of clever cat details to reveal the humorously outrageous story.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Denise Holmes. Phoebe's name starts "with a P and had a whole lot of other letters that didn't make sense." "Everyone makes mistakes, even mamas," declares Phoebe. When her class practices writing their names, Phoebe's teacher encourages everyone to sound them out; Phoebe proudly writes "Feeby" in glitter-glue. Friendly illustrations and an understanding teacher make this a sympathetic discussion-starter for kids facing similarly tough spellings.

Reviewer: Rebecca Fox

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Yuyi Morales. "I HATE MY NAME!" complains Thunder Boy Smith Jr., a.k.a. Little Thunder: a nickname that "makes me sound like a burp or a fart." As he considers new names, the pictures let us into his world and his dreams. The book is both funny and real, and Morales's illustrations (made from "the remains of an antique house") give the family great specificity.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(2) 4-6 Recently moved from Compton to Newport Beach, Zomorod Yousefzadeh has started calling herself Cindy to fit in. But late-1970s world politics keep her ever aware that she's Iranian. Dumas's semi-autobiographical children's-book debut is funny, affecting, and nuanced--rife with depictions of racism kids of color and immigrants still face; these serious notes are balanced with preteen antics and melodramas of which Blume would be proud.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(2) K-3 This is an emotion-filled journey of a young child finding a place in the world. The child imitates various groups of animals, experiencing the joy of friends and subsequent loss when they leave. Smith's oil and acrylic illustrations camouflage or leave hints about each species he introduces. The satisfying arrival of a "tribe of kids"--this time the human kind--brings the trip full circle.

Reviewer: Robin L. Smith | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2016

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kate Hindley. A little dog's owner pampers it to an almost unbearable extent. Even worse, the owner calls the dog things such as "Ickle Pickle Woof Woof"--and right in front of some tough-looking dogs! But guess who else has embarrassing owners? It's a vaguely familiar story freshly and funnily told. Hindley gives the melodramatic canine cast the emotional range of the best actors.

Reviewer: Nell Beram