#blogbookaday: Alma and How She Got Her Name

Summary:  “If you ask her, Alma Sofia Esperanza José Pura Candela has way too many names: six! 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; José, 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 stories or names.” (Taken from Goodreads)

Review: A little girl with a big name becomes the protagonist of this story as her father tells her about the family members she was named after. Alma soon realizes that she’s a little bit of each family member and a little bit all her own and that her name fits perfectly.

Personal Reaction: Juana Martinez-Neal does an amazing job of weaving Alma’s family story as her father tells Alma about all the people she was named for. I loved how after each little story, Alma embraced that part of her name – realizing that she is like many of her ancestors. I loved the pencil sketches that at times look like Alma herself was drawing them – with words written in Spanish on the map and her drawings (a touch that many Spanish-speaking families will enjoy, I hope). I connected with this story in that my middle name (although I only have one) was chosen because my parents knew a number of strong women that shared the same name. After doing some work on Ancestry.com, we found some old family names that my brother has chosen for his own children, which makes me so happy – that feeling of family and strength.

Title: Alma and How She Got Her Name
Author: Juana Martinez-Neal
Illustrator: Juana Martinez-Neal
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: April 10, 2018

This is a new idea I’m trying on my blog this year that was inspired by @donalynbooks and @heisereads – to provide a brief review of a picture book every day of 2018. You’ll get a brief summary of the story, a review of the content, illustrations and theme, my personal reaction to the book and all the pertinent publication information! Enjoy!