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

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