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Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Alma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal

Alma has six names. She's convinced that's too many and her name never fits. Her dad tells her where each of the names comes from so she can decide if they fit.

Thoughts: A charming story and a simple introduction to family history. Alma is an endearing character both in words and illustrations. I love the limited color palette and how Alma pops with her pink striped pants. My siblings and I were always told about the origins of our names and at least part of them were from our family tree so Alma's story brings back memories for me. I love how the note from Juana ends: "What is the story of your name? What story would you like to tell?"

As part of a children's literature class in college I had to visit an elementary school class. Names was the topic I chose. I read My Great-Aunt Arizona by Gloria Houston and made the students bookmarks with the meanings of their names on them. Alma would be another great book to use for such a project.

Themes: Names, Family History, Dads

(Review copy provided by publisher. Candlewick, 2018.)

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