The Name Jar (EXAMPLE)

The Name Jar

The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi is about a young girl who just moved to America from Korea. Being the new girl in a new school is never easy. Unhei is anxious that kids won't like her or she won't fit in at school. Being the new kid is even harder when no one can pronounce your name. On the first day of school Unhei introduces herself but tells the class she is going to choose a new name that everyone can pronounce. Her classmates decide to help her pick a new name. Unhei starts practicing some of the names suggested when a classmate visits her neighborhood and discovers her real name and its special meaning. The next day the jar of suggested names disappears. Will Unhei pick a new name or decide to keep her special Korean name?

I would recommend reading this book to your class for many reasons. One reason being that many times we have students who have names that aren't easy to pronounce but are still beautiful and deserve to be learned by the class. I think this book teaches kids that know matter what your name is, you are still special and everyone is one of a kind. Another reason I would read this book is because it shows kids of color so students of color in your class could see someone like them in a book. This book is a sweet story that shows friendship and acceptance for everyone!