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The Name Jar

The Name Jar (2003)

by: Yangsook Choi

This book is about a little girl from Korea coming to America and going to school.  The Name Jar is a story about being confident in who you are and not changing yourself.  Unhie, the main character, is a little girl who has to leave her grandmother in Korea to go with her family to America.  Unhie gets made fun of about her name on the school bus.  Since this happens to Unhei, when she is introduced to her new class, she says that she does not have a name.  The other students in the class come up with names that they think she may like.  They put all these names, American sounding names, in a jar for Unhie to look through.  A little boy in her class hears her name outside of school at a Korean deli.  He thinks that it is beautiful and that it is the name she should go by.  He hides the jar so that she will have to choose her name.  This little boy, Joey, instills confidence in Unhie to be true to who she is.  She decides that she will be called by her Korean name by her American classmates.  

This picture book is an excellent example of realistic fiction.  It shows students from different countries coming together and respecting one another.  I would love to have this book in my classroom library, regardless of grade level.  I believe that this book would make an impact on so many students.  It shows us, as the reader, that everyone has something to be proud of, even if it not common in where they live.  This book shows friendship and acceptance.  I would highly recommend this book to other teachers.  

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 2, 2017 at 1:18 PM

    This is one of my favorite books! As you said I also think that this book would be a great resource in my classroom library at any grade level. It is a great way to teach students to be themselves and that everyone is unique and that is certainly something to be proud of.

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