Product Description
A debut picture book about loving your name, finding your voice, and standing up for yourself from the critically acclaimed illustrator of Bilal Cooks Daal and I Am Perfectly Designed.
Mirha is so excited for her first day of school! She can't wait to learn, play, and make new friends. But when her classmates mispronounce her name, she goes home wondering if she should find a new one. Maybe then she'd be able to find a monogrammed keychain at the gas station or order a hot chocolate at the cafe more easily.
Mama helps Mirha to see how special her name is, and she returns to school the next day determined to help her classmates say it correctly--even if it takes a hundred tries.
From School Library Journal
PreS-Gr 2-In a vividly illustrated classroom that includes a child in a wheelchair, students who have many different colors of skin, a variety of dress, and many different hairstyles, saying "Mir" as in "miracle" and "Ha" as in "haha" should not be so hard. But on the first day of school, which Mirha has anticipated for so long, no one, not even the teacher, can say her name right. She hears students call her by every other name there is, from Mina to Nerha. Hayden, with red hair and green eyes, asks Mirha to change her name to Maya, to make it easier for everyone, and she considers it. The heartbreak is palpable, because most children have witnessed this situation, even if they were not victims of it. Mirha cannot understand why the name that is music to everyone in her Arab family is so difficult for others. Her solution proves perfect. When people get it wrong, she simply says, "That's not my name," and helps the person pronounce it. She is just as courteous about everyone else's names. Syed's book uses clarity in the dialogue, the emotions, and in the intent, featuring only well-meaning teachers and children who want to get it right. Her illustrated school scenes are so familiar while Mirha's posture translates her every feeling, with or without the text. VERDICT This is a necessary guide for helping everyone navigate these waters, and educators may wish to throw in some conversation about pronouns as well. A great first-day story for breaking the ice.-Kimberly Olson Fakihα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
A 2023 Blue Spruce Award Nominee
"Affirming and empowering; a story that will resonate with many children and a lot of adults, too."
-Kirkus Reviews
"Syed’s book uses clarity in the dialogue, the emotions, and in the intent, featuring only well-meaning teachers and children who want to get it right. Her illustrated school scenes are so familiar while Mirha’s posture translates her every feeling, with or without the text. . . A great first-day story for breaking the ice." -School Library Journal
"Saturated illustrations spotlight a candy-colored classroom environment, and classmates of varied abilities and skin tones, while accessible text offers a useful script that even invites readers to introduce themselves." -Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Anoosha Syed is a Pakistani-Canadian illustrator based in Toronto. She has a passion for creating cute characters with an emphasis on diversity and inclusion, and has illustrated many best-loved books for children. She is the illustrator of Bilal Cooks Daal by Aisha Saeed. Bug Girl and Bug Girl: Fury on the Dance Floor, as well as I Am Perfectly Designed, written by Karamo Brown, and the Monster and Boy chapter book series, written by Hannah Barnaby.
When Anoosha isn't drawing for work, she's drawing for fun (she doesn't really have any other hobbies).
