Your Name Is a Song

Written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow
Illustrated by Luisa Uribe
Published by Innovations Press

Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl’s mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.

NOTE: While there is no indication that this mother or daughter are New Arrivals or New Americans, the girl’s diverse classroom appears to have New Arrival/New American students. And what the girl faces—the inability of her teacher to pronounce her name—is something that immigrant and First Generation kids can face daily.

The author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow is First Generation Guinean American and in an interview with the Beautiful Blackbird Children’s Book Festival shared that the main character’s name comes from her Jamilah’s mother’s community.