153 // Alma and How She Got Her Name / Juana Martinez-Neal (Author, Illustrator)

Alma and How She Got Her Name / Juana Martinez-Neal (Author, Illustrator)

• Candlewick

• 2018

• 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. - From Amazon

• Family histories - Names

• I really like the idea of tying yourself back to your family through tracing the origin of your name. Martinez-Neal's soft cozy art is like a warm hug of many grandparents.