René Colato Laínez, illustrated by Fabiola Graullera Ramirez
I am René, the Boy/ Soy René, El Niño
Piñata Books, 2005

Ages 7-10

What's in a name? That's what René sets out to discover when his identity is threatened by a classmate called Renee, on his first day of school in the United Sates. The two names sound exactly the same, but to his surpise, his namesake is a girl! Teased about it by his classmates, René decides to research the meaning and cultural implications of his name for a school library competition and ends up befriending Renee, the girl. Winner of the 2006 International Latino Book Award for Best Bilingual Picture Book, this book will engage young readers and remind them to respect and understand their peers.

Alma Flor Ada, illustrated by K. Dyble Thompson,
My Name is Maria Isabel
Aladdin, 1993

Ages 7-10

It's Maria Isabel's first day of school and upon arriving she is told by her teacher that there are already two other Marias in her class. Unaware of the implications her statement might have on Maria, she announces to the entire classroom that Maria will be called Mary instead.

Maria, who has been named for both her grandmothers, a grandfather and her own father, is unable to think of herself as Mary and thus doesn't respond to the name. Only when the children are asked to write an essay about their greatest wish, is she able to communicate how it feels to be called something else other than your own name, and to reclaim her sense of self. By doing so she reveals to her classmates and her teacher her pride in her Puerto Rican heritage. And the teacher is finally able to make amends and understand that no two names are ever the same.

Sandra Yamate, illustrated by Janice Tohinaka,
Ashok- by Any Other Name
Polychrome, 1992

Ages 4-8

For a while young Ashok wishes he had any other name but his own. "What's the use of being named after an Indian king if you are an American boy?" he wonders. His father explains his reasons for naming him that, but Ashok is neither amused nor convinced. Only after his school librarian points out reasons why Ashok is fortunate to have it is he able to come to terms with his name and feel pride in it. "I am Ashok. My name is Ashok", he finally announces to his classmates. This is a lovely story about ethnic pride.

Yangsook Choi,
The Name Jar
Knopf, 2001

Ages 5-9

A lighthearted story about a young Korean girl's first day of school in a new country. Riding the school bus Unhei, a young Korean girl, realizes that  her name is very different than that of her school friends and decides she needs an American name. Her classmates offer to help by placing suggestions in a 'name jar'. She considers each name, but somehow they don't seem to fit her. When a friend discovers the meaning of her name, Grace, he decides he too would like to have a Korean name. And upon realizing that being different is something to be celebrated (all of a sudden all her classmates want to have Korean names!), Unhei decides to keep her name just as it is.

Jane Medina, illustrated by Fabricio Vandenbroeck,
My Name is Jorge: On both Sides of the River
Boyds Mills Press, 2004

Ages 7-10

This bilingual Spanish/English poem collection is written from the point of view of Jorge, an immigrant child from Mexico. It depicts the difficult experience of adjusting to life in a new country, and how even the littlest things, like the way they say his name in English ("George!/What an ugly sound!/Like a sneeze!"), seem like a barrier to reconciling his Mexican and American identities. A friend helps him sort things out and when his family must return to Mexico due to his grandmother's death, he is surprised to realize that he feels sad for the life he's leaving behind.

Elen Levine, illustrated by Wayne Parmenter,
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
Scholastic, 1993

Ages 7-12+

Stories of how customs agents at Ellis Island, the US East Coast immigration station 1892-1914, renamed immigrants upon entry into the country have become legend, the reasons for it being language barriers or the Asian tradition to give their last name first. Adopting a Q&A style, this non-fiction book offers a lot of information about earlier immigration procedures. In spite of what the title implies, only a few pages deal with name changes, including the author's own family name, but the book does a good job of pointing out that literacy tests were part of the routine that helped determine one's eligibility to enter the country. Many immigrants' dreams of a better life were thus connected to their ability to write or say their own names and be understood.

Helen Recorvits, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska,
My Name is Yoon
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2003

Yoon in Korean means Shining Wisdom, and is written in characters that make it look happy. When written in English, the lines and circles stand alone — much like the way Yoon feels in the United States, her new home. Unsure about the American version of her name and herself, she tries out other names while dreaming of ways to either flee or conquer her situation. In the end, she comes to accept both her English name and her new life, recognizing that however her name is written, she will always be herself.

Linda Sue Park,
When My Name Was Keoko
Clarion, 2002

Ages 12-14+

Set in wartime Korea under Japanese occupation, this historical novel explores the compromises people are forced to make by the Japanese government. One law dictates that all Koreans must take Japanese names. Thirteen and ten year-old siblings, Tae-yul and Sun-hee, do answer to their new names — not doing so would mean severe punishement — but they each find their own way to honor their Korean culture and heritage by remaining faithful deep inside.

Belle Yang,
Hannah is My Name
Candlewick Press, 2004

Ages 5-9

It's 1967 and a Taiwanese family immigrates to San Francisco in search of the American dream. While the family waits for their green card, seven year-old Na-li must adjust to a new language, a new school, a new way of life... and even a new name, Hannah. This upbeat story based on the author's first years in San Francisco, California is an example of how sometimes, in spite of all the obstacles faced by people uprooting themselves and moving to a new country, a new name can bring a new sense of identity and a happy life. 

Shirley Sterling,
My Name is Seepeetza
Douglas & McIntyre, 1998

Ages 10-14

"I said, my name is Seepeetza. Then she got really mad like I had done something terrible." (...)

Canada has not been spared its share of racism, as this fictional account based on the author's experience in a residential school in the 50's shows so painfully well.

The 'Indian Act' stated that all native children must attend residential schools, to have a "proper" education. All Aboriginal Canadian children — in this particular case, a twelve-year-old N'laka'pamux girl — were submitted to the institution's policies of assimilation, which included forbidding them to speak their own languages and be called by their own names.

In spite of all the hardship she endures, Seepeetza finds small and enduring ways to assert her rights to the culture that the residential school tries so harshly to deny. She manages to resist assimilation by insisting on her real name and writing in a journal (whose buckskin cover was made and beaded by her grandmother). Her strength and determination are inspiring, and help us learn about this chapter of Canadian history. It makes us realize that the only way to a peaceful world is through the 'knowledge and empathy' road.

Posted June 2006