Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A young immigrant doesn't recognize their own name when students and teachers say it aloud; it's like "it doesn't fit in their mouths."The narrator has come to a new country, and their heart aches for home (neither their name nor their nation of origin is mentioned in the text). They left "the place where [their] name fit" for a world full of Emmas and Olivias and Sophies. Believing life would be easier as an Emma, the narrator tries to be like a classmate, but that doesn't quite fit either. The tomatoes in their lunchbox don't help. They bite into them like an apple, spilling seeds all over their shirt. The narrator then remembers advice from their grandmother: "A smile can lighten a heavy load." A timid smile leads to tentative friendship with one classmate, then another, as slowly the protagonist starts to realize they do belong here. This is a beautifully told and illustrated story that expresses, with sensitivity and inspired use of figurative language, a child's attempt to fit with the dominant culture-a common experience that will resonate with many readers and inspire empathy in others. Rich, vivid illustrations make superb use of color and convey a sense of movement. The main character is brown-skinned; the classmates are diverse in terms of skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A poetic book about the power of a smile and what it means to find home. (afterword) (Picture book. 4-8)

ALA Booklist (Fri May 27 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

A child whose family has recently immigrated feels uncomfortable at her new school. From her name, which her teachers and classmates mispronounce, to the whole tomato in her lunch, which leaves stains on her dress, everything about her seems different and wrong. Though her mother encourages her to make friends, she doesn't know how. She tries imitating a classmate, but that doesn't work. On the playground, Chloe asks about her name. The child explains that it was her grandmother's, and remembering her beloved namesake, she smiles. Soon afterwards, when Chloe forgets her lunch, the girl shares her tomato. As the two classmates become friends, other children begin to accept the new girl, too. The mispronunciation of names and the foods seen as "weird" at lunchtime are common occurrences in tales of immigrant children, but this picture book, narrated by the girl, makes the outsider's experience more understandable to others. The illustrations, digital collages created with inks, pastels, and water-soluble crayons, are richly colorful and emotionally resonant. An expressive picture book that articulates a young immigrant's viewpoint.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

There is a whole world in my name. I carry it with me. It's heavy carrying your whole world around with you all the time.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A young immigrant doesn't recognize their own name when students and teachers say it aloud; it's like "it doesn't fit in their mouths."The narrator has come to a new country, and their heart aches for home (neither their name nor their nation of origin is mentioned in the text). They left "the place where [their] name fit" for a world full of Emmas and Olivias and Sophies. Believing life would be easier as an Emma, the narrator tries to be like a classmate, but that doesn't quite fit either. The tomatoes in their lunchbox don't help. They bite into them like an apple, spilling seeds all over their shirt. The narrator then remembers advice from their grandmother: "A smile can lighten a heavy load." A timid smile leads to tentative friendship with one classmate, then another, as slowly the protagonist starts to realize they do belong here. This is a beautifully told and illustrated story that expresses, with sensitivity and inspired use of figurative language, a child's attempt to fit with the dominant culture-a common experience that will resonate with many readers and inspire empathy in others. Rich, vivid illustrations make superb use of color and convey a sense of movement. The main character is brown-skinned; the classmates are diverse in terms of skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)A poetic book about the power of a smile and what it means to find home. (afterword) (Picture book. 4-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

“I don’t recognize my name at roll call the first time. The teacher says it like it’s too hard to understand.” And when other children say it, confides the brown-skinned child narrator of this sensitively articulated picture book: “It sounds like a question every time.” Manoli, whose first name inspired this debut, offers exposition via emotional phrases that discuss how “we left the place/ where my name fit” and came to a place where “our things look weird.../ My clothes are weird.../ The whole tomato in my lunchbox is weird.” Swaths of color dominate Mora’s lushly wrought illustrations as the protagonist tries to fit in with other children, portrayed with varying skin tones. But trying to be like others “doesn’t fit me.” Soon, advice from the child’s grandmother leads to a tentative friendship, and the eventual feeling that “my name is not a question anymore.” Ages 4–8. (June)