Honoring Names at the Start of the School Year

Those first days are a critical time to set the tone for the whole rest of a school year. And one of the most important things to make sure to get right are students’ names. Someone’s name is an integral part of their identity, so ensuring classmates and teachers are using and pronouncing each student’s name correctly can go a long way toward building a classroom community that is a safe space based on caring and mutual respect for each person in that space. Picture books provide a wonderful way to kick off the year with that at the forefront, especially if doing daily picture book read alouds with #ClassroomBookADay.

While classics can be a valuable resource, and a book’s age doesn’t automatically disqualify it, with the vast advancements the children’s literature industry has made in authentic and inclusive representation, it necessitates evaluation of books you select with a more critical eye toward ensuring all identities are seen and valued and honored in schools. For that reason, I encourage you to branch out from what may have been used for the last thirty years into some of the newer titles that can provide similar conversations while encouraging a deeper sense of belonging and understanding for all students.

Instead of Chrysanthemum, try one of these newer titles!

My Name is Saajin Singh
Becoming Vanessa
~~Tell~~ Teach Us Your Name
Call Me Max
Kantiga Finds the Perfect Name
Your Name is a Song
My Name is Long as a River
My Name
Yefferson, Actually
Banana Dream
My Name is Not Ed Tug
Do You Even Know Me?
Alma and How She Got Her Name
The Girl Who Named Pluto
The Arabic Quilt
THAO
My Name is Aviva
Josie Dances
I Am Not a Fish!
What’s Your Name?
Calvin
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name
My Name is Sangoel
Always Anjali
Say My Name
Sora’s Seashells
That’s Not My Name!
Baba, What Does My Name Mean?: A Journey to Palestine
My Name is Bana
Naming Ceremony
Joyful Song: A Naming Story