My Name Is a Story

PreS-Gr 3–In this debut picture book by African American singer Ashanti, the main character, also named Ashanti, has brown skin and black hair, and wishes she had an easy name, “easy like recess or sunshine.” She goes home from school in tears after kids in her class make fun of her name and even the teacher pronounces it wrong. But when Ashanti’s mother, also with brown skin and black hair, tells her the story of her name by saying what each letter stands for “Awesome, sunrises, harmony, art” Ashanti enthusiastically finishes the last letter of the acrostic poem herself with “idea, inspiration, innovation, imagination” and, back at school, proudly tells the class about her name. Mikai’s soft pastel illustrations create a comforting atmosphere, and her portrayal of diverse students in the classroom acknowledges that just because someone is in an apparently diverse environment doesn’t mean they don’t feel excluded or different. Readers who like Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow’s Your Name Is a Song and Yangsook Choi’s The Name Jar will be happy to find another supportive name book on the shelves.