MOWMT 29: The Culture of a Name with Maria Wen Adcock

Picture Books About Cultural Name Awareness

by Maria Wen Adcock

What’s in a name? In a very practical sense, our names are our identities. When someone says our names, we know they’re talking to us. Culturally, a name can represent someone’s heritage or show respect for elders they may have been named after.  

Everyone wants to be called by their correct names because that’s what we identify with. When someone calls you by an incorrect name, it can feel jarring. 

The picture books below reflect a larger theme about the importance of names and how they can connect us and reflect our heritage. These stories include characters who have uncommon names that others struggle to pronounce, who may struggle with being different, and/or who realize that they can feel proud about their birth names and heritage. 

Don’t forget to scroll to the bottom to read about the prize I’m offering to one lucky reader!

MY NAME IS AI LIN - Written by Maria Wen Adcock and Illustrated by Yu Ting Cheng 

As a child, I had personal experience with people mispronouncing my Chinese name, Ying-Hsing, and my last name, Wen. The story of My Name Is Ai Lin is reflective of many people I’ve known throughout my life who had unique names that represented their cultures. 

I also wanted to tell the story about the cultural meaning behind names. Before my first daughter was born, I knew I would choose a Chinese name for her that held meaning, just as my parents had done for my siblings and me. I reached out to my parents for guidance on names that would accomplish thishttps://amzn.to/4cr80WS goal. Of the names my parents presented, my husband and I chose Ai Lin. Thus, this book is based on the real-life Chinese name of my daughter. 

Book Description: “In this empowering story, one child shows that by making the effort to properly pronounce someone’s name, we send the welcoming message that everyone is worthy of respect and dignity.

When Ai Lin starts school, her classmates cannot say her name. The children make several attempts, but they still cannot pronounce it properly. They ask Ai Lin if they can call her by another name. But Ai Lin knows the significance of her Chinese name. No, it can’t be changed. Her name is part of her identity and heritage. When Ai Lin shares her family history, her classmates come to understand that a name can be a person’s story, special and unique. Ai Lin’s name, and all that it means and stands for, is as personal as a fingerprint, as distinct as a snowflake.”   

CHRYSANTHEMUM - Written and Illustrated by Kevin Henkes

CHRYSANTHEMUM, a beloved story originally written in 1991 by national bestselling author/illustrator Kevin Henkes, continues to be a teacher’s pick for the classroom. It is a tale about originally loving a birth name, getting bullied because it’s long and hard to say, and learning about self-acceptance. 

Publisher’s Book Description: “Chrysanthemum thinks her name is absolutely perfect—until her first day of school. ‘You're named after a flower!’ teases Victoria. ‘Let's smell her,’ says Jo. Chrysanthemum wilts. What will it take to make her blossom again?

This is an ideal break-the-ice book for the first week of school. It gets children thinking about and bonding with their own names and the names of everyone else in the class. It's the perfect vehicle for starting a discussion about treating classmates with tolerance, kindness, and compassion.”

Your Name is a Song - Written by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow and illustrated by Luisa Uribe

This story shows how continually calling someone by the wrong name can create an unwelcoming environment to the point where the main character, a young girl, wants to avoid school. When she learns from her mom about how a name can hold someone's culture and how it can be musically lyrical like a song, the girl gains confidence and understanding about her name.

Publisher’s Book Description: “Frustrated by a day full of teachers and classmates mispronouncing her beautiful name, a little girl tells her mother she never wants to come back to school. In response, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names on their lyrical walk home through the city. Empowered by this newfound understanding, the young girl is ready to return the next day to share her knowledge with her class. Your Name is a Song is a celebration to remind all of us about the beauty, history, and magic behind names.”

THE NAME JAR - Written and Illustrated by Yangsook Choi

This book is a classic that has endured over time. Written in 2003, THE NAME JAR was a conversation starter in classrooms about cultural name awareness.

Written from the perspective of a young immigrant from Korea, the story follows a young girl attending a new school in America. The main character considers choosing an “American” name by picking the name from a jar. The story addresses the question of whether she should adopt an “American” name or keep her birth name when attending school.

Publisher’s Book Description: “A heartwarming story about the new girl in school, and how she learns to appreciate her Korean name.

Being the new kid in school is hard enough, but what happens when nobody can pronounce your name? Having just moved from Korea, Unhei is anxious about fitting in. So instead of introducing herself on the first day of school, she decides to choose an American name from a glass jar. But while Unhei thinks of being a Suzy, Laura, or Amanda, nothing feels right. With the help of a new friend, Unhei will learn that the best name is her own.”

MY NAME IS SANGOEL - Written by Karen Williams and Khadra Mohammed, and illustrated by Catherine Stock

MY NAME IS SANGOEL intersects multiple themes of being a refugee and immigrant and the struggle to keep one’s identity. In this story, a young boy from Sudan suffers many tragedies and must leave the only home he knows. He at least has his name, which is tied to his family and culture. So when others cannot pronounce his name, it is like losing a part of his heritage. 

Publisher’s Book Description: “Sangoel is a refugee. Leaving behind his homeland of Sudan, where his father died in the war, he has little to call his own other than his name, a Dinka name handed down proudly from his father and grandfather before him. 

When Sangoel and his mother and sister arrive in the United States, everything seems very strange and unlike home. In this busy, noisy place, with its escalators and television sets and traffic and snow, Sangoel quietly endures the fact that no one is able to pronounce his name. Lonely and homesick, he finally comes up with an ingenious solution to this problem, and in the process he at last begins to feel at home.” 

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Thank you for reading my post, and I hope you will explore my book recommendations. Read on for a chance to win a prize!

Prize: A signed copy of “My Name Is Ai Lin” picture book. 

Author Bio & Social Media: Maria Wen Adcock is the author of IT'S CHINESE NEW YEAR, CURIOUS GEORGE (2023) and MY NAME IS AI LIN (2025), which received a Starred Review from School Library Journal. Maria is a first-generation Chinese-American writer and founder of the award-winning multicultural parenting blog www.BiculturalMama.com. She has appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, Bloomberg News, Newsday, and Huffington Post. Maria is a board member of Multicultural Kid Blogs, an organization supporting diverse parenting bloggers, and co-host of the annual publishing event Read Your World Day. She also works at the local library in the children’s department. Maria resides on Long Island with her husband and two children. 

Website: www.MariaWenAdcock.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariawenadcockauthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/biculturalmama

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