Saturday, February 19, 2022

Books About Names

I've been thinking lately about picture books about names. I think it's a wonderful moment when our children learn to write and read their own name, whether that's in First Grade or Kindergarten. It's the beautiful secret shared in The Day of Ahmed's Secret. Your name is important!

Why not do a theme about names, around the time that children are learning to write them? This ties in with social justice ideas as well (and I've given some suggestions of additional titles), which is something that the Waldorf movement struggles to address in an age-appropriate way with younger children, given that the model advises protecting our children and letting them be little... yet the honest conversation about injustice is an important theme of our time. And they chose to be born into this place and time.

So, if this is on your mind, I'd love to hear about how you're addressing it with your students. Please share more favorite titles for this list.

My skin is my skin; my hair is my hair; my name is my name. And I love it!



The Day of Ahmed's Secret

by Florence Parry Heide


Turtle Knows Your Name

retold by Ashley Bryan
it would be fun to read this, then spell your name out in shells in the sand


Chrysanthemum

by Kevin Henkes


My Name is Sangoel

by Karen Williams


The Name Jar

by Yangsook Choi


My Name Is Yoon

by Helen Recorvits


Your Name Is a Song

by Jamilah Thompkins Bigelow


Alma and How She Got Her Name

by Juana Martinez-Neal


My Name Is Bilal

by Asma Mobin-Uddin


Eyes That Kiss in the Corners

by Joanna Ho


Happy to Be Nappy

by bell hooks


Skin Again

by bell hooks


The Colors of Us

by Karen Katz


Less Than Half, More Than Whole

by Kathleeen Lacapa


I Am Golden

by Eva Chen


Sulwe

by Nyong'o Lupita


Beautiful Blackbird

by Ashley Bryan


Stolen Words

by Melanie Florence


The Day You Begin

by Jacqueline Woodson


This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!

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