The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name

by Sandhya Parappukkaran, Michelle Pereira (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for fans of Alma and How She Got Her Name and Your Name Is a Song, author Sandhya Parappukkaranand illustrator Michelle Pereira’spicture book The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Nameencourages readers to take up space and support each other with respect and kindness.
 
When Zimdalamashkermishkada starts at a new school, he knows he’ll have to introduce himself to lots of new people. He trips over his long name and decides to shrink it down to the shorter, simpler Zim. The nickname works fine for introductions, but deep down, it doesn’t feel right. It’s not until a new friend sees him for who he truly is that Zimdalamashkermishkada finds the confidence to step proudly into his long name.
 
The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name is a warm and uplifting story that encourages young readers to celebrate their authentic selves and that proclaims no one should ever have to shrink themselves to fit in.
 
“This sensitive book will make an excellent lead-in to age-appropriate discussions about difference and belonging.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (Starred Review)

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781647006594
Publisher:	Abrams
Publication date:	01/10/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sandhya Parappukkaran is the author of books like The Boy Who Tried to Shrink His Name. She left her job as a food technologist so she could put her feet up and read. Then she rediscovered her passion for children’s books. Her stories are inspired by her multicultural experience and include scrumptious food from her South Indian heritage. She resides in Brisbane with her family.

Editorial Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
“With gentle compassion and tender wisdom, this Australian import portrays the challenges and joys of starting over in a new setting, juxtaposing fraught school days with the cozy warmth of evenings at home. Pereira’s block print style digital artwork brings Zimdalamashkermishkada’s name to vibrant life. When he begins to teach Elly his name, the unruly shapes begin to take the form of a bird, adding more detail with each syllable until it soars gloriously across a two-page spread in joyous, fiery tones when Elly says the whole thing. This sensitive book will make an excellent lead-in to age-appropriate discussions about difference and belonging.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

The orange cord turns into a bird, soaring around the new friends as the story finds a satisfying crescendo. This story shines in its gentle insistence that, with time and practice, we can learn new things—and that there’s nothing like a trusty friend. The art and language are lovely, with details to note with repeated readings.

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
“With gentle compassion and tender wisdom, this Australian import portrays the challenges and joys of starting over in a new setting, juxtaposing fraught school days with the cozy warmth of evenings at home. Pereira’s block print style digital artwork brings Zimdalamashkermishkada’s name to vibrant life. When he begins to teach Elly his name, the unruly shapes begin to take the form of a bird, adding more detail with each syllable until it soars gloriously across a two-page spread in joyous, fiery tones when Elly says the whole thing. This sensitive book will make an excellent lead-in to age-appropriate discussions about difference and belonging.”

—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“The orange cord turns into a bird, soaring around the new friends as the story finds a satisfying crescendo. This story shines in its gentle insistence that, with time and practice, we can learn new things—and that there’s nothing like a trusty friend. The art and language are lovely, with details to note with repeated readings.”—Booklist

"For intercultural sharing, for awakening compassion, for tending empathy, or the SEL shelves, this story has many uses and should not be missed."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

02/01/2023

K-Gr 3—The opening line, and one that must rehearsed so that it will ring out at story hours, is "My name is Zimdalamashkermishkada." Zim, as he decides he should be called, is very shy about how much space his name takes up. It is a name like "shoelaces that trip" him up every day and he needs a name he can "catch with one hand" in the air. The poetry of Parappukkaran's text shows that this is a problem long considered, and readers will be rooting for Zimdalamashkermishkada from the very first page. In Pereira's graceful illustrations, he is a boy with a flop of black hair, warm brown skin, in shorts and chunky brown shoes, who watches birds eat seeds and seems in every way kind. But shrinking his name in the dryer does not work, nor does folding it up like origami, and in one moment, it blows up like a puffer fish. Only by practicing his skateboard turns with new friend Elly, as she, in parallel, practices the twists and turns of his name, can he step up and embrace fully his moniker. Spelling it out here makes it seem much clumsier than it is handled in the lilting text, which trusts readers with the subtext of a blossoming understanding between the two. There is also a sweet subplot of pastry cooking taking place in Zim's home that may give way to classroom demonstrations. VERDICT For intercultural sharing, for awakening compassion, for tending empathy, or the SEL shelves, this story has many uses and should not be missed.—Kimberly Olson Fakih

School Library Journal

2022-11-16
Names matter.

Zimdalamashkermishkada might be a mouthful, and it may even trip up the bearer of the name. It definitely means that the young South Asian boy will keep trying to shorten his name. But every time he does that, introducing himself by the nickname Zim, his emotions roil, making him realize that something isn’t right. Thus begins a journey for Zimdalamashkermishkada to fit his name, and himself, into his new school and with his new friend Elly (light-skinned with red hair). Setting itself apart from the slew of recent picture books that explore names from different cultural heritages, this one sees its protagonist come to appreciate his name on his own instead of seeking answers from an adult. The narrative offers the child agency, letting him work out his identity on his own with a bit of help from friends and family. The illustrations are warm, dominated by hues of green and orange. Both art and text use metaphors deftly, a bird slowly appearing as Zimdalamashkermishkada learns to embrace his name; the bird soars, huge and proud, by book’s end. The writing pops in the moments that break down how Zimdalamashkermishkada feels, especially as he “fold[s]” and “unfolds” his name, like origami. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

An insightful tale that digs deep into names—an inherent part of identity—and the emotions attached to them. (Picture book. 4-6)

Kirkus Reviews