Mary Cummings, illustrated by Lin Wang,
Three Names of Me
Albert Whitman & Company, 2006.

Ages 8-12

Mary Cummings shares a heartfelt tale of international adoption in Three Names of Me. This is the story of Ada Lorane Bennett, a girl adopted by American parents from an orphanage in China. Ada has three names - Wang Bin as she was called at the orphanage; Ada, the name given to her by her American parents; and the name, unknown even to her, whispered in her ear by her Chinese mother.

Cummings' work is fictional, but loosely based on her own experience as the adoptive mother of a Chinese daughter. The discerning story, told from Ada's perspective, draws young readers into Ada's efforts to bridge the life she knows as an American girl with the cultural history she holds dear to her heart.

Readers are introduced to Ada's past, her current day to day life, and her solid relationship with her adoptive parents. At the end of the book, Cummings also shares some pages from Ada's scrapbook, along with the suggestion that readers make one for themselves. Through these pages, the reader learns more about Ada's life with her lists of favorite things and her intriguing "list of Whats". In addition, Three Names of Me offers readers a learning experience as throughout the story the meanings of some Chinese words and characters are explained, and some pertinent information about China is shared.

Illustrator Lin Wang has used watercolor and colored pencils to create enchanting, full-spread drawings, which complement the tender story and beautifully capture the Chinese and American landscapes.

Three Names of Me portrays Ada as a typical American girl with a very special history. Her endeavor to make sense of all her three names conveys a positive story of adoption from a child's point of view. Adopted children might feel particular empathy with Ada's experiences but the common themes of family and growing up will pique the interest of all young readers.

Mary Beth Cecchini
May 2007