School Library Journal
07/22/2022
PreS-Gr 3—In this debut picture book by African American singer Ashanti, the main character, also named Ashanti, has brown skin and black hair, and wishes she had an easy name, "easy like recess or sunshine." She goes home from school in tears after kids in her class make fun of her name and even the teacher pronounces it wrong. But when Ashanti's mother, also with brown skin and black hair, tells her the story of her name by saying what each letter stands for "Awesome, sunrises, harmony, art" Ashanti enthusiastically finishes the last letter of the acrostic poem herself with "idea, inspiration, innovation, imagination" and, back at school, proudly tells the class about her name. Mikai's soft pastel illustrations create a comforting atmosphere, and her portrayal of diverse students in the classroom acknowledges that just because someone is in an apparently diverse environment doesn't mean they don't feel excluded or different. Readers who like Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow's Your Name Is a Song and Yangsook Choi's The Name Jar will be happy to find another supportive name book on the shelves. VERDICT Although this is not original, it is welcome—there are never too many books about being proud of who you are—and this is a solid purchase.—Hillary Perelyubskiy
Kirkus Reviews
2022-06-22
Singer/songwriter Ashanti’s picture-book debut follows a little girl learning to accept and celebrate her unique name.
The story opens with a brown girl named Ashanti in a racially diverse classroom; she wishes that her name was “easy…like recess, sunshine, and skipping rocks.” Instead, she finds that her name is “a spelling bee for my teacher and jumbled puzzle pieces on my classmates’ tongues.” Her classmates call her name “weird” and giggle when she writes it on the board. When she cries in her brown-skinned mother’s lap after school, her mother explains the glory of her name and offers affirming words for each letter, like awesome, strength, and harmony. Ashanti wipes her tears away, and by the time they reach the final letter of her name, she is shouting, “An INSPIRATION! INNOVATION! A bright IMAGINATION!” with a smile and a triumphant stance. Her mother tells Ashanti that her name is a story, and the next day at school, Ashanti stands before the class with her head held high. Heartfelt moments between mother and daughter are the highlight of this book. Mikai’s speckled, pastel-hued art brings light and energy to the page. This does feel like a tale that’s been done before—the story arc is similar to Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow’s Your Name Is a Song (2020), illustrated by Luisa Uribe, and the main character’s physical appearance echoes Mikai’s prior picture-book art. Still, there is room for all of these titles on shelves. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sweet. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-7)
