Reviewed by Beverly Slapin
Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
Book Author: Juana Martinez-Neal
Our young protagonist has a long name—Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela. Her name is so long that writing it on the back of a photograph requires her to tape an extra piece of paper to the bottom. “It never fits,” she grumbles to her papi, who decides that this is the perfect time to tell her the stories of her many names—and gives her the emotional room to “decide if it fits.”
In Alma’s search for her identity, Martinez-Neal tells a gentle story of family culture and history and fills it with illustrative detail that will encourage the youngest readers to embark on their own journeys of self- and family discovery. Continue reading.
Alma y Cómo Obtuvo Su Nombre by Juana Martinez-Neal
Published by Candlewick Press on 2018-04
Genres: Latinx
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Grade K, Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9780763693589
Review Source: De Colores: The Raza Experience in Books for Children
Buy at Powell's Books
What's in a name? For one little girl, her very long name tells the vibrant story of where she came from -- and who she may one day be. Spanish language edition!
If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza Jos� Pura Candela has way too many names: six! Just think of how hard it is to fit them all on the back of a little photo. How did such a small person wind up with such a large name? Alma turns to Daddy for an answer and learns of Sofia, the grandmother who loved books and flowers; Esperanza, the great-grandmother who longed to travel; Jos�, the grandfather who was an artist; and other namesakes too. As she hears the story of her name, Alma starts to think it might be a perfect fit after all -- and realizes that she will one day have her own story to tell. In her author-illustrator debut, Juana Martinez-Neal opens a treasure box of discovery for children who may be curious about their own origin or name story.
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